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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30065304">HOMECOMING</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lone_wolf625/pseuds/Lone_wolf625'>Lone_wolf625</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Magnificent Seven (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Chris's brother is an asshole, Family Issues, Gay Bashing, Graphic Male Sex, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, M/M, Magnificent Seven AU: ATF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 17:56:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>41,458</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30065304</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lone_wolf625/pseuds/Lone_wolf625</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Going home is never easy, especially when you haven't stayed close to your family. But family is important and Chris is going to figure that out, even if it kills Vin.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Chris Larabee/Vin Tanner</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. RELUCTANCE</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So I was working on about three different stories and stuck with horrible writer's block when I received an awesome review on one of my old stories by a reader/reviewer named Linda. She gave me the inspiration for this little plot bunny and here we are. If you like it- she gets all the credit- and well... if you hate it- that's probably my fault for being a piss-poor writer... but whatever.</p>
<p>One thing to begin with - the whole Chris/Vin slash thing has been around forever (I got nothing new here) - some writers putting them together even back in the OW realm. I know the whole male-male stuff made its way into the ATF verse back in the early 2000's when even the idea of two guys together was still kinda taboo, much less if same-sex marriage was ever mentioned. So, I've tried to modernize their relationship just a bit... but even with things being more accepted and even legal in a lot of places, we're still not out of the dark ages when it comes to tolerance and acceptance. </p>
<p>Having said that- I'm not gay and I'm not a man... so what the hell do I know? I'm just writing crap that makes me happy and toss in some angst and hopefully some happiness and a bit of lightheartedness and personality... and at the end of the day- who of us doesn't have family that makes us crazy once in a while?  Don't hate me...</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h3>
  <em>
    <span>Reluctance</span>
  </em>
</h3>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Are ya’ sure ‘bout this?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p><span>Vin paused, his hands hovering above the nearly empty duffle bag and holding his “good” jeans along with the shirts Chris had picked out for him to take. There was no hiding the doubt or anxiety he’d been trying to push aside ever since Chris had announced that</span> <b><em>they</em></b> <span>not </span><b><em>he </em></b><span>were going to travel to Indiana and attend Chris’s parents’ upcoming 50th wedding anniversary celebration. </span></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris sighed. His exasperation with his younger lover became apparent even as he zipped his fully packed - and ready - bag. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure, I’m sure, for the hundredth time, I’m sure, okay?” The blond replied, the edge to his response not missed by Vin. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tanner dropped the clothes into the open case but didn’t move to add any of the other things that were laid out on the dresser waiting to be packed. He’d put off packing, even put off picking out the clothes to take on the trip until the very last minute in hopes that Chris would change his mind and go without him. His tactic of avoidance had been mostly ignored by his partner, until now.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t that the trip had been a surprise, in fact, Chris had told him about the planned anniversary celebration back around Christmas when he’d been talking with his sister, Anne and sharing obligatory holiday phone calls with the rest of his family. Apparently, their conversations had gone from catching up on nieces and nephews, jobs, and other happenings, to planning for the family’s observation of their mother and father’s upcoming special date. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Now here they were, nearly seven months later and while Chris’ sisters had done most of the planning for the upcoming event, Chris and Vin had basically forgotten about it other than to see a date circled on the calendar. Except, as the last few weeks approached, Vin felt the knots in his stomach grow tighter with dread. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The young agent had never met any of Chris’s family beyond an abbreviated visit from the man’s parents a year back. That visit had been less than a Hallmark moment considering the circumstances. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris had been gravely wounded during a multi-agency operation and for a time, it looked as though he might not pull through. While both men had long ago designated each other as next of kin and provided the legal means to sign for a durable power of attorney, as the first forty-eight hours of the crisis wore on, Vin decided that it was only right to let the man’s family know what was going on with their son. With Buck’s help and no less than the big man’s unwavering support, Tanner made the phone call and did his very best to bury his emotions as he conveyed to the older Larabees the horrible news. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They arrived at Denver Medical Center the morning after his call, the stress of their worry and the early morning flight showing on their elderly faces. Vin made himself scarce from the bedside vigil he’d been holding up to that point and if his red-rimmed eyes were any indication of his emotional state, he’d have just blamed it on concern for a teammate and lack of sleep. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris pulled off one of his usual bull-headed, stubborn, beat-the-odds, recoveries and before anyone could say “AMA,” he was being discharged and settling in to finish his convalescence back home at the ranch. While Vin felt the mountain of stress being lifted from his shoulders and couldn’t wait to get his lover’s side, lavishing him with all the care and love and attention to get him back to full health; rehabilitation for the couple wasn’t without its challenges.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Unfortunately for Vin, Chris’s discharge and return to their shared home was accompanied by his parents' well-meaning, but somewhat unplanned and awkward visit. Concerned about their son’s post-injury recuperation, James and Lillian Larabee determined the best course of action was to take it upon themselves to ensure that their bachelor son did not have to manage the cooking or cleaning or other menial tasks of maintaining a house or caring for himself. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They had no idea of his “current” living arrangements, despite the fact that Chris and Vin had been together for nearly a year at this point. Sure, they’d known most of Chris’ ATF team, had seen pictures and heard countless stories of the group’s exploits, but other than their son recounting how tightly knit the team of men was, their youngest child had never hinted that he had fallen in love with the young, ex-Ranger sniper. Worse, there had never been any mention that the two men had taken their relationship to include living together. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It had only taken the first couple hours of their stay when Chris blurted out that Vin and he were together- as in living- as in lovers; fully committed to each other in every way. His parents had met the news with a silent, stoic sort of acceptance, their eyes never really looking at Vin who stood off to the side like a sudden intruder in their son’s home,  or maybe an over-sized pile of excrement; which was only slightly less distasteful than how he felt under the Larabee’s scrutiny.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In the end, it had been a surreal week. Chris’s mother waited on her son hand and foot, cooking and serving him meals, washing his clothes, and cleaning up around the ranch. His dad mostly puttered about and avoided Vin; when he wasn’t scowling at the young Texan.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They said they supported their son, said they supported his love and his happiness, but Vin couldn’t help but notice the wistful way Lillian stared at the picture of Sarah and Adam while she was dusting the mantle. He also didn’t miss how James tended to look away or humph air anytime he so much as made a fleeting touch or got too close to Chris. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>For Chris’s part, the blond made every attempt to put Vin at ease. If he noticed his parent’s cold behavior he either didn’t care or was determined to not let it affect their relationship. While he wasn’t as overtly promiscuous as he normally tended to be with Vin around their home, he didn’t hold back when it came to placing a kiss on the lithe sharpshooter’s lips or drawing the younger man in close as they sat watching tv in the evening. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin mostly just tried to preserve the peace. He kept the PDA to a minimum, smiled graciously to Lillian and dosed her with his most polite “yes ma’am’s”, generally avoided James by hanging out in the barn caring for the horses and made sure that he and Chris didn’t go to the bedroom at the same time at the end of the evening. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When the couple made to leave, Lillian gave him a hug and smiled genuinely. She stood up on the tips of her toes and softly whispered into Vin’s ear “take care of him.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He wasn’t totally sure what she meant by those words. Was Chris’s mother suddenly condoning and accepting them as a couple or was she merely asking him to watch out for her son who had an above-average penchant for unhealthy habits and risk-taking? Vin didn’t know and Lillian had never really given him any hints of how she felt about them being together but she’d been pretty clear that she’d adored Sarah, never missing an opportunity to make some offhand comment about how Chris and his deceased wife had been so perfect together.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>So, he smiled back and nodded his head. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Till my dying breath,” he answered the small woman. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>James didn’t really say anything to him, merely gave Vin another long assessing look before turning back to Chris. “Be careful, son,” he advised. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin tried no to read more into those cautionary words than maybe what they meant. That there was no love loss extended towards him from the elder Larabee wasn’t hard to miss. Chris never commented much about his father either before or during his parent’s stay and Vin wasn’t about to make mention to his lover about how the senior treated him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris’s parents left and the two got back to their lives with little fanfare and barely little discussion about the visit. Their life got back to normal. Days filled with work, nights filled with each other, weekends filled with their friends and plenty of things to do around the ranch. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Until the whole anniversary trip. When Chris had first mentioned it, Vin thought nothing of it. In fact, he’d just assumed that like times before, Chris would just attend the family event without him. Other births and funerals had come about with the two of them never expecting that they should make an appearance as a couple. In fact, to Vin’s knowledge, he didn’t think Chris had told his family anything about them, even after the whole visit by his parents. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He knew it didn’t have anything to do with Chris being afraid or embarrassed about their relationship, all of their friends and teammates knew about them now. They didn’t flaunt it, but neither did they hide anything except when at the office and only then to avoid any protocol issues and politics. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yet here they were, a mere eight hours from departing for Indiana and meeting the entire extended Larabee clan. Vin felt like some dark, nasty secret that Chris was going to suddenly show up with. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Hey everyone- haven’t seen most of you in years…. What have I been up to? Oh, nothing much… lost my wife and son in a tragic accident… nearly drank myself to death…. Got promoted to SAC of my own Special Response Team… fell in love with the sniper on said team… living with my male lover full-time now… brought him with me today…. SURPRISE!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin snorted as he imagined the reception he and Chris were going to get when they showed up at the anniversary gathering. It would be nothing short of a miracle if it didn’t blow up right in their faces. What was Chris thinking?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you so worried about,” Chris demanded, coming around the end of the bed to stand beside him. While Tanner stood immobile, still staring blankly at the unpacked bag, Larabee began picking up and putting clothing in the duffle. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s just… the timin’...” Vin stammered as he stood there, watching impotently as Chris took over the task. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The blond stopped, turning to face the slightly shorter man.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Just what, Vin? What’s the problem? Don’t you want to go with me… be with me?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin dipped his head, letting his hair fall forward to hide his face, the golden-brown curtain so effective in obscuring the open window to his emotions and soul. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not that… not meanin’ it to be a personal thing…” he began, the fingers of his right hand absently reaching down to fidget nervously with the strap of the bag. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Not personal, huh?” Chris prompted. “So, how am I supposed to take it when you’ve done nothing but moan, groan, complain and stall for the past week about the trip?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin shrugged silently. “It’s not... I wanna be… it’s just...what about…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What about what, Vin?” Chris reached down and grabbed Vin’s hand to stop the frenetic twisting of the strap. “Ya’ gotta talk to me in something more than half-sentences and incomplete thoughts. On my best day, I can’t understand your Texas drawl, much less when you only give me two or three words to put together,” Chris teased. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin began to turn away, embarrassment mixed with fear set the usual voices off in his head and drove him to run from the pending conversation. Maybe if he slept on it, the new morning sun would cast a better light on the situation. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah and maybe he’d wake up in the morning to a world where same-sex relationships weren’t generally still looked upon as deviant and wrong.</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> There were just some things Vin knew he had to accept as being in the category of “never going to happen.” He’d learned early in his life that there were a lot of things that fell into that bucket. Stuff like a normal family, a sense of security, unfailing trust in others, and love. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But recently, the long-time loner had come to experience much of what had been missing from his life since he’d been a young child. Home, security, and affection; and all thanks to the man who was currently the center of his world. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And wasn’t that the problem? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The relationship he had with Chris hadn’t come easy- for either of them. Between the emotional baggage they both carried; Chris because of his loss and Vin because of the lack of stability in any sort of family or long-term bonds. Neither man had readily accepted the attraction that pulled them together, both so fearful of not only committing their hearts but also the potential loss of each other’s friendship and camaraderie should the relationship fail. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They’d managed to come together mainly through the interference of their friends. The team’s acceptance helped reinforce that their feelings were more than just a convenience or an itch to be scratched. Once they both admitted and succumbed to the true emotions and passion they held for each other, accepting the truth of their feelings, the rest had been fairly easy. Except of course for dealing with the job. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yet, even though they’d won the battle, Vin continued to worry about attacks from unseen enemies. His insecurity reared its head every time a sideways comment was made about the couple or when Chris seemed to avoid showing their relationship in public. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He understood both his partner’s reluctance to shed or diminish his ex-Navy Seal -alpha male personae, he even accepted that despite Denver’s fairly liberal culture that many would still frown on two men openly displaying their sexuality with each other. If there was one thing he would never do, it would be to risk either their relationship or especially, Chris’s career or respect just to quiet the voices in his head that tended to whisper discouragement and incited fear. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It's what brought him/them to this place. Worry that going to this anniversary celebration with Chris’s kin would lead to a veritable conflict. What if Chris’s family didn’t approve of their relationship? What if they didn’t want him there? What if they were angry with Chris? What if Chris blamed him?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Didn’t Chris understand just how bad things could get?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dozens of horrible scenarios had played through his head, each worse than the one before. Vin hadn’t slept soundly for the past several nights as his brain conjured up nightmares. Sleeplessness and stress combined to make him edgier than usual. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Running from me isn’t going to make whatever this is any better…” Chris’s voice broke through Vin’s dark introspection drawing his attention back to his blond lover. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Larabee’s hands gently but firmly took hold of his upper arms and drew him closer, preventing him from escaping.  A flush of warmth rushed through his body, and Vin drew a stuttered breath. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Please talk to me…” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin looked up, his eyes meeting the searching green ones set beneath pinched brows. The fingers of Chris’s right hand moved up from where they had been holding his bicep, calloused fingertips gently brushed the late day’s growth of stubble on his cheek before skimming to push away the unrestrained strands of his hair. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris knew Vin’s usual tactics for hiding and avoidance. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why are you stressing out over this trip?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>And there it was…</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As difficult as it was for Vin to ever talk or share his feelings or fears, he could never deny Chris anything. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I jus’... jus’ don’ wanna... ruin…” Vin paused, struggling to voice the words. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you gonna ruin?” Chris snorted, a wry smile spreading across his face. “What’s goin’ on in that head?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin shrugged and pulled away from Chris’s hold. He managed to distance himself from the blond,  making his way to the other side of their large king-sized bed where he took up a slow pacing. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He heard Chris sigh and from the corner of his eye, he saw the older man casually take a seat on the edge of the mattress. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>So much for getting out of having this conversation...</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Chris… ya’ know I love ya’...” Vin began, casting a quick glance over but unable to maintain eye contact. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Larabee smiled broadly. “Well, I’m kinda hopin’ that this thing between us was more than just you wantin’ a place to board that demon-spawned horse of yours… well, that and of course, the </span>
  <em>
    <span>extra benefits</span>
  </em>
  <span>…” He wagged his eyebrows suggestively. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin returned the smile briefly, yet it never really made it to his eyes. The young Texan continued his slow stride, now nervously worrying at the hem of his t-shirt. He opened his mouth twice, but the words just didn’t come. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Talk to me, Vin…” Chris prompted. “Haven’t we been together long enough now… been through enough that whatever this is… whatever is bothering you… we can work through it?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know…” Vin agreed finally. “I know… jus’... I keep thinkin’... what if…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What if what?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin moved purposely to the large window in the bedroom. He gripped the sill and stared out to the foothills in the distance. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What if your family doesn’t like me?” he managed after a moment. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Behind him, Chris huffed bitterly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s just crazy! Why wouldn’t they like you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin shot Chris a sideways look as though to say “</span>
  <em>
    <span>you have to ask</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Seriously, Vin… why would you think that? We’re just going to celebrate my parent’s 50th anniversary. It’s not like anyone there is going to care about us?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin spun around to face Chris. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Have you told them about us,” he blurted out. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He watched as Chris’s expression changed going from confident and lighthearted to more serious and contemplative. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t you think your Mid-western conservative family is going to be more than a little shocked when you show up with me?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris rose from the bed and moved toward him. “My parents already know… why is this suddenly a thing with you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And look how well that went…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“They were okay…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Were they? Were they really okay with us, Chris?” Vin pressed. “Have you seriously talked to them about us since the Cindric Op last year? Do they ask about</span>
  <em>
    <span> us </span>
  </em>
  <span>when they call, when you talk to them?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris closed the distance so that he was face to face with the slender sniper. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“My parents aren’t assholes, Vin… and neither are the rest of my family. It will be okay. You’ll be fine,” he assured. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin pushed away. “I don’t give a damn about me,” he nearly shouted. “Don’t you understand?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The silence that filled the room suddenly felt oppressive and clung to Vin along with the feelings of guilt as he took in the sullen expression on Chris’s face. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re worried about me?” the blond asked softly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A long moment passed and Chris added. “Why?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin turned back to the window. The sun was finally dropping below the mountains to the west, the glow casting a beautiful shade of vermillion and garnet amid the encroaching deeper blues of the night sky. The cottonwoods were shining silver against the sunset while the lodgepole pines turned a deeper green-black like silent sentinels guarding the hillsides. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tanner loved the mountains, cherished everything about the ranch, and the property that included acres of untouched streams, wildlife and woodlands that provided solitude and open skies. If Chris was the refuge for his love, the mountains were the sanctuary for his soul. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He could no more live without either of them and losing one was to lose the other at this point. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ya’ really hafta’ ask?’ Vin replied quietly, still looking out at the darkening sky. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I guess I do. I mean, I thought it was you and me together… in everything,” Chris answered. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Always…” Vin affirmed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So what’s this about? We’ve said from the start that we’d deal with stuff together… whatever it was… we wouldn’t cut each other out… so if you don’t explain what’s goin’ on in that head of yours… what’s suddenly got you so spooked… well… how can we deal with it? Together… like we always promised?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin sighed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Damn, he hated when Chris threw logic combined with love and their own heartfelt promises back at him. At some level, he knew his partner was right, but he couldn’t shake the dread that made him worry that the upcoming event was just setting them up for disaster. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I guess I jus’ don’ wanna create any problems for you with your kin… it’s not worth it… not worth you losin’ your family over me…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s not gonna happen…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It might…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why… because you think that my family isn’t going to approve of us? You think they’ll all be so intolerant that they’ll meet us at the door with a Bible in one hand and tickets to a conversion camp in another?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I’m thinkin’ they might not want you there… they might tell ya’ to leave… they might quit havin’ ya come around for holidays and such… or be afraid to have ya’ around your nieces and nephews and such… cause ya’ know… that uncle Chris… got that gay boyfriend n’ all… don’ want him round the kids cause ya’ don’ know if'n ya’ can trust him … bein’ a perv and god knows what else…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris snorted. “That won’t happen... they wouldn’t act like that toward…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin spun around to face Chris, his eyes wide and seeking as he waited for his partner to finish the stunted comment. Green eyes looked away.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ya’ can’t really be sure can ya?” Tanner prodded. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris straightened, head held high and body rigid as he seemed to regroup, determination and assurance written in his features. He’d retreated into leader-mode; confident and self-assured. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You gotta trust me, Vin… trust us… trust </span>
  <em>
    <span>in </span>
  </em>
  <span>us… like always… </span>
  <em>
    <span>please</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin nodded, looking up as Chris closed the gap between them, once more reaching out to gently grip the younger man’s upper arms. The long-haired man let himself be pulled toward the blond’s body, wanting and needing the strength, comfort, and assurance of Chris’s embrace.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Trust in us, Vin…” Chris repeated before pressing his lips against Vin’s. Tanner responded, letting Chris breach his mouth, their tongues lightly touching, wrapping and coiling around each other. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The kiss was softly sensual and offered reassurance more than heat. Still, when Chris pulled away, Vin exhaled with a soft moan. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s gonna be okay,” Larabee reassured, one hand gently rubbing up and down Vin’s back while the other roamed up to weave into the Texan’s loose sun-streaked hair. “Stop listening to that damned voice that tells you all that bad shit that </span>
  <em>
    <span>could</span>
  </em>
  <span> happen. Quit worryin’ about what-ifs...”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was so easy to believe Chris as he distracted him with gentling caresses and random nips that seared his jaw and neck with sexual heat. Easy to ignore the possibility of what might happen, to forget the years of humiliation at the hands of bigots and intolerant assholes that dealt with their own insecurities by lashing out with cruel words and heavy fists and focus only on the caring touch of his lover. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They both knew that the two biggest fears that were burrowed deep into Vin’s psyche involved failing his teammates and losing Chris’s love. He didn’t care a whit about his own welfare, often sacrificing his own happiness or safety for others. It had taken months for Chris to get the younger man to finally open up and share some of the fears and anxieties he held in order for the two to begin to develop a relationship that was based more on sharing than just Vin trying to do whatever it took to please Chris and avoid making any misstep that might push the older man away. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>While there were still occasions that the quiet man tended to hold things inside, wary of trusting in their love and bond, overall, the two men shared a strong relationship that had survived more than its share of struggles. Still, there was no escaping his brutal childhood. Memories of abuse and no steady model of love or trust had left an indelible mark on Vin’s heart and personality. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris had been both healer and teacher, showing the young man that opening his heart and learning to trust another with it wouldn't end in being broken. Vin was finally coming to understand the meaning of unconditional love.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris kissed him again, this time his partner wrapped his hands around the back of his head and held him as he pressed their lips together. Their mouths once again connected them, sharing each other as intimately as they shared a breath. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Trust in us…” Chris said breathlessly when they parted, his eyes nearly twinkling as he gazed into Vin’s. “I love you… you love me… nothing else...no one else… matters.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know that here,” Vin agreed, tapping his chest above his heart. “I guess… it’s just here…” He tapped the side of his head. “This just doesn’t get it sometimes.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris leaned in and placed another kiss on Vin’s temple. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop thinkin’ so damn much,” he admonished, teasingly. “Let me be the brains of this outfit and you… you just keep bein’ the…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Brawn?” Vin quickly interjected with a devilish smile.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris returned the grin, seeming to consider before shaking his head. “Nah, I got that covered too… how ‘bout beauty?” The blond suggested as he tugged back Vin’s head by a handful of hair before darting in for another quick peck at Vin’s now exposed throat. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Not… beautiful…” Vin retorted, his voice barely more than a low gasp as he succumbed to Chris’s increasing attack on his body. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>If it had been Larabee’s intention to get Vin to quit thinking about all the “what if’s” and “maybes” then his plan was working. His lover was slowly but systematically breaking down his defenses and focusing his attention on the places on his body that were coming alive and reacting to Chris’s roaming hands and well-placed kisses.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Handsome”   </span>
  <em>
    <span>*kiss*    </span>
  </em>
  <span>“gorgeous”    </span>
  <em>
    <span>*kiss*     “</span>
  </em>
  <span>good-lookin’”   </span>
  <em>
    <span>*kiss*    “</span>
  </em>
  <span>alluring”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Alluring?” Vin interrupted with a snort. “Really, cowboy… that sounds more like an Ezra word than a Larabee one. Kinda odd even for your big college brain!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris paused for a moment, cocking his head as he considered. “How ‘bout ravishing then,” he suggested even as his hands worked their way underneath the thin material of Vin’s t-shirt. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tanner leaned forward into Chris’s grasp, closing his eyes as warm hands began to skim up the sides of his chest. He drew in a sharp breath when Chris’s fingertips brushed across his nipples, so lightly it sent a shiver across his skin. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ravishin’ huh?” Vin gasped. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“If you only had half a clue of what I and everyone else sees…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin huffed again, but couldn’t prevent the blush that colored his face and neck. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Not some gal that needs t’ be butt’rd up…” he insisted even as he felt Chris begin to steer his body away from the window. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that what I’m doin’...” the other man answered huskily, the warmth of his voice and breath lilting into Vin’s ear. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ya’ know…’bout that whole ravishin’ stuff…” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes…” Chris answered as he continued to use his hands to guide the younger man towards their shared bed while simultaneously still seeking as much of Vin’s flesh as he could reach. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I ‘spect… I could…” Vin began, his breath hitching as the back of his legs struck the edge of the mattress and Chris’s body pressed hard against his own. The older man’s firm shaft nestled in at the fly of Vin’s jeans but despite the thickness of the fabric, there was no mistaking the blond’s desires. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>could </span>
  </em>
  <span>do a lot of things… I love all the things that you do… we do… what exactly ya’ got in mind?” Chris asked as he easily flipped open the top button on the denim. A moment later Vin heard the metallic snick as the zipper was pulled down, exposing his filling cock. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, Chris was close enough that he could inhale his partner’s characteristic scent. The familiar hint of Larabee’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>Aventus</span>
  </em>
  <span> cologne mixed with the more earthy smells of hay and horses, all weaving together with the musky aroma that was uniquely Chris. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Leaning closer, Vin nuzzled against the juncture of Chris’s jaw and neck, letting the essence of the man intoxicate him as his mouth and tongue licked and sucked at the warm skin. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m think’n  we should keep movin’ on with this’ ravishin’ thing…” Vin said eagerly, moving his own hands to pull the t-shirt from Chris’s pants. Once the fabric was free he continued his exploration, letting his fingers skim up the trim plane of Chris’ abdomen, mapping each inch of flesh that he’d committed to memory as completely as he had the catalog of weapons in his tactical cage. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Beneath his fingertips, he could feel Chris’s heartbeat, the increase of the taller man’s breathing as Vin caressed his body with his mouth and hands.  Vin snuck a quick look upward, his blue eyes meeting Chris’ green as his lover happened to connect at that same moment. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Vin…” Chris panted hungrily. “I want you…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Those words stoked the growing fire in the younger man. Tanner stretched his long frame, hard muscles contracting like a cat that was preparing to pounce on unsuspecting prey. And maybe he was, except at that moment Chris was peeling open his Levis and in the same motion pushing them down off his hips and past his thighs. The worn fabric, soft and tattered from numerous washings, slid easily to the floor, pooling at his ankles like the blue-white water of the Silver Dollar Lakes. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin was naked beneath the denim, his preference for going commando when not dressing for work or going out. Around the ranch, he tended to be comfortable, deferring to worn jeans, broke-in boots, and faded t-shirts or the requisite hoodie or henley as the weather demanded. But it was late spring, the days warming even if the nights tended to still run cool in the foothills. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Now exposed,  Chris quickly moved to the now bare groin, one hand wrapping around Vin’s shaft while the other reached around and grabbed the right cheek of his ass. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No more talking… no more thinking… just you… me… shutting the world out… making love....” Larabee directed as he slowly began to stroke. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I want ya’ too… need ya’, Chris…” Vin answered back; his voice filled with unmasked desire. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wrapping his arms around the taller man, Tanner pulled Chris with him backward, both men falling onto the bed. Larabee landed on top of the lean Texan but didn’t lose contact with the younger man’s cock. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Gonna do some ravishin’ of my own, Tanner…” Chris promised, dipping his head down to devour Vin’s mouth. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tanner gasped at the onslaught, yielding to the building passion as Chris' lips quickly strayed from his mouth to his neck. The older agent paused only briefly to strip the t-shift from Vin’s body before diving back down to continue his oral assault on the tanned chest. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin writhed beneath him. Chris’s hand sped up on his cock; twisting and pulling faster upward only to slow on the downward tug. The blond’s mouth moved all over his chest and upper abdomen, quick kisses interspersed with his teeth tugging sharply on each of Vin’s already taut nipples. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Next to the actual feel of Chris inside of him, the man’s lips and tongue were enough to nearly push Vin to the edge. Larabee seemed to know every inch of Vin; knew all of his erogenous zones and just how to work his body. Between his hands and mouth, Tanner figured Chris could make him come without ever using his cock. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>But oh that cock..</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Chris… oh god… Chris… wait…” Vin was gasping like Peso after a hard ride, his breaths coming deep and through his nose. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Larabee lifted his head, pausing with both his mouth and his hand. He looked down, capturing Vin’s eyes, his own even darker now, the green looking like the dark of a spruce set against the mountains. Wild with lust, his pupils blown wide, Chris smiled down at him with a hunger that left nothing to Vin’s imagination. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Shhh… just relax and let me distract you…” Chris murmured. “Let me take the stress off your mind.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin groaned, a mix of desperation with just a hint of discomfort. “My </span>
  <em>
    <span>mind</span>
  </em>
  <span> ain’t what’s gettin’ stressed right about now…” he answered, pushing against the slightly larger man with the palms of his hands. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tapping into his deeply ingrained Brazilian jiu-jitsu training, Vin pulled his body upward wrapping his long, muscular legs around Chris’s trim waist. With a twist of his torso, he flipped them over, pinning his lover underneath him, their groins firmly pressed together even as Vin’s legs bracketed either side of Chris’s hips. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Without missing a beat, Tanner grabbed both of the blond’s wrists and stretched his arms out to the sides, his own frame stretching wide and dipping forward so that their faces were mere inches apart. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris smiled up at him, his lips curled even as his eyes narrowed impishly. Vin leaned down and kissed him, hard and demanding, relishing the way he was able to leave Larabee breathless and looking as desperate as Vin felt. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So it’s gonna be like that?” Chris chuffed heatedly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin shook his head. “Nope… it’s gonna be like this,” he answered as he released Larabee’s hands and slithered down the lean body. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There was only a momentary pause as Vin stopped his movement, his fingers deftly working the fasteners on the jeans at Chris’s waist. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Up!” he commanded, raising on his own knees so that Larabee could lift his hips. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Awful demandin’,” the blond remarked even as he began to push at the material. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin backed down Chris’s long legs, dragging both denim and underlying briefs off as he moved downwards. Once past Chris’s feet, Tanner tugged the rough fabric past his heels with a furious yank, tossing it across the room as though he needed to make sure it was well beyond reach. With his long, wavy hair shrouding his face, Vin slowly crawled back up the length of Chris’s body, pausing only when he came to the intersection of inner thigh and groin. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Freed from the cloth confinement, Larabee’s shaft was filled and erect. Jutting out from his abdomen, Chris’s cock bulged at the head, reddened to the point of looking fierce and demanding.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But didn’t that just seem to suit Larabee? Everything about the man was fierce and demanding; a model of control, intensity, and command. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin stole only a second to look at the organ, always easily enthralled as he was with every part of the man that was the other half of his world… his soul. With a deep breath, he dove in like a starving man fighting for the tiniest morsel of food. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His mouth enveloped Chris in one fell swoop, like a bird of prey capturing its target, lips sliding down the sides even as his tongue licked the thick vein on the underside. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ohmyfuckinggod…” Chris cried out, even as his fingers reached up to weave into Vin’s hair; both an act to control the younger man’s movement as much as to manage his own out-of-control need. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin couldn’t help the small smile of satisfaction but he didn’t stop, instead increasing the action of his mouth; up and down, faster then slower, the tip of his tongue swirling then darting into the slit even as he licked away the thin film of pre-cum that was eeking out. He could feel Chris respond inside his mouth, the shaft throbbing even as the blond’s body was beginning to tremble beneath him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin wanted Chris, wanted to have every part of the man that he loved like nothing else in this world. But he also didn’t want the sex to be over quite this fast and he could feel Chris’s balls twitching as his lover’s fought against the threatening orgasm. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Pulling back, one last long swipe of his tongue, Vin hovered over Chris’s groin, his right hand gripped the base of his partner’s cock,  fingers unable to encircle the entire member but his grasp firm enough to elicit the necessary reaction. Blue eyes looked up from underneath long lashes while Vin offered a devious smile. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re evil, Tanner…” Chris rasped, his jaw set tightly even as he closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah… but ya’ love me…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris reopened his eyes and smiled genuinely. “More than I can ever begin to tell ya’...” he answered sincerely. “But I’m gonna spend the rest of my life provin’ it to ya’ and making sure you believe it... “ </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>With a controlling yet not forceful tug, Chris pulled Vin off and over by his hair, rolling the smaller man until the two had switched positions. Vin shifted so that he was slightly out from underneath Chris, one leg and hip somewhat elevated. He barely stifled the gasp when Larabee reached under with his arm, hooking the leg and burrowing his fingers into the cleft of Vin’s ass. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tanner moaned but the sound was quickly muffled as Chris plunged forward and captured his mouth once more in a kiss. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Now, Chris… need ya’ now… please...“ Vin pleaded, pulling slightly away and gazing up into the passion-filled green eyes. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris nodded back silently, abandoning Vin only briefly before returning. There were only the shortest moments that Tanner could feel Chris working him, warm fingers coated with cool gel, the odd contradiction to the hot fever that was ranging throughout the rest of his flesh. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He lay there at the mercy of Chris’s hands, enraptured and ensnared like a hare in the claws of a raptor awaiting the inevitable outcome. Vin surrendered, even so far as relaxing muscles that were trained to respond to fight, to perform so his body was always in peak readiness for combat. Biceps, triceps, quads, and abdominal, Vin wasn’t a body-builder but his musculature was well-defined for his size. Yet now, he was as pliable as soft leather as Chris worked him open, the blond’s hands feverishly stimulating both his ass and his cock. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Chris…” Vin moaned, his head beginning to turn side to side in desperate need. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I got ya’, Tanner…” Chris answered as his hands moved away. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The pressure of Chris’s cock breaching Vin’s hole stole his breath for only the briefest of seconds, the sound of Vin sucking in air along with the quick tensing of muscles the only sign that Larabee had caught the younger man slightly unawares. The spasm passed just as rapidly, Chris pausing, his sense for Vin’s body as keen and sure as his ability to spot a perp. He waited the span of several heartbeats, then lifted Vin’s leg ever-so-slightly while shifting his hips to feed his shaft further into his lover. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh god… yeah… Chris…” Vin cried out in pleasure. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Above him, Larabee began to thrust, setting a pace to the silent rhythm that only the two of them could seem to hear. Vin clung to the man that was making love to him, arms intertwined between the one that was propping Chris above him and the other that was still hooked under his left knee. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He could feel Chris’s cock stretching him, filling him, connecting them so completely Vin couldn’t begin to tell where Chris ended and he began. He loved the sensation. Couldn’t honestly get enough of it. It wasn’t just for the sake of the sex, although sex with Chris was in his top 10 joys of life. No, the feeling of having Chris next to him, touching him,</span>
  <em>
    <span> in him</span>
  </em>
  <span>… gave him the feeling of being wanted… needed… completed… loved. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin couldn’t imagine his world without Christopher Larabee in it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“God… how I love ya’…” Vin pledged, his hands gripping Chris even tighter as he felt his already swollen balls begin to tighten, his impending orgasm just a few more deep thrusts from Chris away. The friction against his overstimulated cock already causing the organ to leak in anticipation. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Larabee was lunging like his only purpose was to drive Tanner’s body through the mattress. But despite what seemed like a frantic focus, his eyes were locked on Vin’s. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Come with me, Vin…” he challenged. “You and me… always… together…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin could only nod in agreement as Chris bent down and kissed him again. The kiss was both rough and passionate, nothing less that the soul-sealing bond that was their relationship. And while they were tied together at the lips, Vin felt Larabee plunge into him once more, the thrust impaling him deeply and triggering his release even as he felt the warmth begin to fill him inside signaling that Chris had come as well. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They lay there not moving, both breathing deeply and still tangled in each other's arms. Chris’s forehead rested in the nook of Vin’s neck, his soft hair tickling the younger man’s nose even as he inhaled the blond’s mix of tea tree and musk. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was easy to just stay there together, ignoring the world outside. Except he knew they couldn’t. The morning would come soon enough. The trip was still on. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He could feel his cock twitch between their bodies, could feel Chris’s shaft twitch still inside him, could even feel the spent come that was now beginning to trail down his groin and in between his legs soon to meet up with the puddle that would inevitably trickle out of his ass once Chris pulled out.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin didn’t care. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris loved him. He loved Chris. The world was right. He was content. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Wasn’t he?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris shifted and groaned. “God, I hate this part.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Then don’t move…” Vin suggested. “Let’s just stay here.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We’d eventually smell… or starve.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We could break for showers and food…” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris laughed, but carefully pulled out and sat up. The feeling of emptiness was worse than the actual roughness of removal. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin remained still. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you okay now?” Chris asked after a moment. Vin feigned a smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Yeah. I’m good.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He watched as Chris pulled down the comforter and top sheet before setting the alarm. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“3:30 am is gonna suck… but if we can get out of here by 4:00 that should put us into Bedford before too late in the evening,” Chris suggested. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.. okay… sounds good,” Vin replied, slowly crawling up to join his lover under the covers. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris met him under the sheets and turned off the light on the nightstand. Vin felt the bed shift and Chris rolled over tucking in closer to him, his partner’s arms reaching across his body to pull him closer. Their naked bodies shared warmth even as the cool fabric rubbed gently against them. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s gonna be okay, Vin… please don’t worry,” Chris promised before planting a gentle kiss on the side of Vin’s forehead. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin smiled into the dark quietness of the room. Chris dropped off to sleep quickly, his breathing evening out as he succumbed to post-sex slumber. Tanner listened, wishing hopelessly for the soft, relaxed breaths to lull him to sleep too. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He tried to quiet his mind by focusing on the call of a distant whip-poor-will, the beat of Chris’s heart, the still present scent of sex, but nothing could silence the dread that came calling back. Morning was just hours away and he hadn’t even finished packing. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Clothes were the least of his worries when he just knew that what lay at the end of the long drive to Indiana was sure to spell disaster. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He sighed deeply, the movement causing Chris to tighten his hold like a child possessively grasping a favorite stuffed animal close to their body. Vin stilled, afraid to move, afraid to disturb his lover. He wished for the night to go on forever. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Afraid to lose this moment - </span>
  <em>
    <span>as though it might be the last one he’d ever have...</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I love ya’, Chris…” Vin whispered softly, praying the words would be enough to get them through the days ahead. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>***tbc**</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. WELCOMING</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks to everyone that's reading, taking the moment to leave a comment or kudos. It makes my day... which may seem like a pretty insignificant thing when our world seems so crazy... but hey- sometimes it's the little stuff- right? </p><p>WSo- for those of you that read this chapter and say to yourself "hey- how come they didn't just fly to Indiana? It's a pretty long drive from Denver to Bedford..." Well.. okay --- a couple of things; one- I kinda figured Chris being Chris would want to have his truck handy to come and go as he pleased; and really, don't guys love to drive? and two, it just didn't quite work for the storyline and dammit- it wasn't my fault that Chris had to be from Indiana and it was so damn far from Colorado?  </p><p>Can we just go with it? Pretty please... </p><p>Besides- he kinda needed the Ram for later (you'll see *evil smile*)</p><p>Also- It wasn't really my intention (okay, yeah maybe it was) to make Chris's family be total assholes and hopefully, this all gets explained out later on... but families - in my experience - seem to talk like they're emailing each other instead of actually interacting and listening - interpreting things that are said through a weird sort of filter called personal perspective... so that's what I was going for. But then- isn't that what being human is all about. So imperfect...</p><p>Hope you all continue to read and enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p> </p>
<h3>
  <em>
    <span>Welcoming</span>
  </em>
</h3><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Chris had been right, 3:30 had sucked, the alarm tolling and reminding Vin that he hadn’t gotten any real sleep. He’d finished packing quickly and they’d managed to get on the road by just a little after 4, thanks in part to a slightly longer than necessary goodbye to Peso. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The drive had actually been pretty nice, the scenery beautiful as the duo came down out of the mountains and into the high plains of Kansas, Missouri, and finally into the delta near the Mississippi. They didn’t talk much, not that it was different from usual, content and secure in their rapport that required few words but relied on actions and a deeper seeded connection that bonded them together. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Somewhere in Illinois when the satellite radio was replaying the same Florida Georgia Line songs they’d been hearing since earlier in the morning and the separation caused by the large center console in the Ram was making Vin feel like Chris was miles away, he broke the silence. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tell me more about Bedford,” Tanner asked. “You’ve never talked much about it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The quiet continued for a couple more minutes but Chris smiled, his eyes still staring through the windshield ahead. He drew in a breath before he spoke. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not a really big town, well at least it wasn’t when I was growin’ up,'' he began. “We finally got a Walmart the year I left for college and the last time I was home, the highschool raised enough money to put new turf on the football field.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you ever miss it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris laughed, the burst short and not totally filled with humor. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s funny. Growin’ up there, all I could ever think about was getting away… couldn’t wait to leave. Happiest day was when I walked out of the recruiter’s office. My mom cried so hard that night even though she’d already watched my older brother and sister go off to college.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wasn’t your dad happy?” Vin asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“James Larabee Senior thought I was going to get my ass handed to me,” the older man said ruefully. “He thought I was always just good enough but never quite “top-notch.” I was the backup son to his perfect firstborn James Junior.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin watched his lover as Chris continued to talk. There was a hard look to the older man’s face that didn’t hide the regret or the pain that resulted from a less than perfect childhood. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You never talk much about him,” the Texan prompted. </span>
  <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chris shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong, I love my dad, he’s a great man, a good father. We just never truly clicked like he did with Jimmy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You proved him wrong though. You made it through BUD/S, became a SEAL, and now you even command your own ATF tactical team. You have commendations out the wazoo… How can he not be proud of all you’ve accomplished?” Vin challenged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Probably because it wasn’t his idea… his plan. Don’t get me wrong. They’re both proud of me, proud of all four of their children, even Caroline despite the crap she’s dealt them. I think with me, it was just different cause I was the baby or something. I came late and maybe it was harder.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How much older are your brother and sisters?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Larabee drew in a breath as he seemed to think. “Well, I’ll be forty at the end of next month, and Jimmy is ten years older than me. That’ll make him fifty. Caroline is two years younger, so pushin’ forty-eight. And Annie is two years younger still, so forty-five or six, I think, although she tends to lie about it to anyone that asks.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin whistled, the noise startling Chris and he turned abruptly to face the younger man. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Holy hell, Chris!” Vin exclaimed. “Your momma waited almost six years before havin’ you? What was the special occasion? Your daddy sure musta’ been the bull of the yard that night?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t be a smart ass, Tanner. I'll pull this truck over and it’s a long walk back to Denver from here,” the blond warned. “Besides, can we just not talk about my parent’s sex life?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin chuckled quietly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris resumed talking after a moment. “I guess that’s what happens when you think you can’t have any more kids. Or more likely when you just don’t try for a while. In any event, I was definitely a surprise.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What about your sisters and brother… what was it like growin’ up with them?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Larabee paused before answering. “They were nearly teenagers while I was still a kid. I guess they sort of tolerated me cause they had to. Caroline always thought I got away with everything and I suppose I kinda did. By the time I was in high school, my folks were either too old or too tired to really fight another kid about curfews and dating. They tried, but I didn’t really listen. I guess you could say I was pretty headstrong.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Imagine that! Chris Larabee being bullheaded and impulsive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Can still pull over…” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin waved his hands in surrender at the non-lethal, green glare. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My family was pretty close, all things considered,” Chris went on. “We weren’t perfect by any means, but we did okay. My parents stayed married, none of the kids did drugs other than smoking some weed or drinking beer on the weekends. We worked to have money, had chores, got our asses beat for talkin’ back or being disrespectful,  and went to church on Sunday. As brothers and sisters, we hated each other but kicked anybody’s ass that hurt a Larabee.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin listened to the words, his mind conjuring up an image of a young Chris cavorting about with his older siblings like something from a rerun the Brady Bunch. Part of him envied growing up in a family where that sort of love and security existed. He’d never known that not even for the brief five years he’d had the comfort and sanctuary of his mother. Certainly not after he’d become a ward of the state of Texas and been shuffled from one foster home to the next.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But as his mind continued to shuffle through manufactured scenes of Chris’s life, one more idyllic and perfect than the next, Vin couldn’t help to wonder how their </span>
  <em>
    <span>new</span>
  </em>
  <span> life fit into that picture. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So… about the church on Sunday thing...” he repeated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tanner could feel the tension that suddenly filled Chris. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, knuckles whitening even as Vin could see the side of his jaw clench in response. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was just wondering…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“STOP!” Chris ordered, his voice low and assertive as though they were suddenly on an op and he was commanding a subordinate, not carrying on a conversation with his lover. “We’re not going to spend the rest of the drive feeding into your fear about my family.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin shrunk away, shifting slightly to pull his body closer to the passenger side door. He hadn’t expected such a forceful response. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cold silence filled the truck. Deciding their trip down memory lane was over, Vin reached a tentative hand out toward the truck’s dashboard and the controls for the stereo. Chris’s fingers snaked over and captured his, twining around his hand and gripping it snugly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That came out all wrong,” the blond apologized. </span>
  <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“S’okay…” Vin replied sullenly. “S’my fault…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris drew in a ragged breath and even with his head dipped low, Vin could feel the man’s piercing gaze on him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just wish you’d trust me… trust in us… this is all going to be okay… </span>
  <em>
    <span>okay</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin looked up after a moment and offered a weak smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know… I do...you’re right… it will,” he answered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris smiled widely back at him, squeezing his hand before his own returned to the steering wheel. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin nodded and reached back to the satellite radio controls. He turned on the volume just as Willie Nelson’s keening baritone broke into the refrain of “Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He closed his eyes and tried to convince himself the song wasn’t prophetic. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>*** M7 ***</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>They pulled into the driveway leading up to a picturesque, white two-story farmhouse just after seven. The lights glowed from the inside illuminating the structure and most of the immediate exterior. With the windows down, Vin could hear the soft sounds of Luke Bryan echoing from inside along with the voices of folks talking and laughter that bespoke of a close family gathering. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Younger children were running about in the side yard where a large wood fort had been constructed into a massive oak tree.  The kids looked to range from as young as five or six all the way up to the teenagers that had likely been conscripted to supervise them. The older kids seemed more focused on their cellphones than their smaller charges, but as there didn’t appear to be any immediate threats beyond the hazard of a fall from the slide or the swing, Vin figured they were all fairly safe and likely familiar with their surroundings.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was an image he’d always pictured being associated with Chris. Probably even one that Larabee would have enjoyed himself had it not been for the loss of his wife and son. But then, where would that have left their relationship?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin tried not to think about the way fate tended to work things out. So far, it just had.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And wasn’t that really what Chris had been preaching to him lately…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sucked in a deep breath even as Larabee killed the engine to the truck, noticing that the door to the big house was already opening and bodies seemed to be spewing forth like zombies from a warehouse in one of JD’s Playstation games. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Here we go…” Chris murmured cryptically as he opened the driver's side door and stepped out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin joined him a moment later and the two met at the front of the truck, side by side, although not touching, as the Larabee clan met them on the front lawn. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Chris!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Christopher”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, little brother!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uncle Chris!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A chorus of greetings met the duo as the family drew near. Vin couldn’t help but notice that while Lillian was the first to greet her youngest, parting the crowd to hug and place a warm kiss on the blond’s cheek, James Senior remained at the back of the group, his arms crossed as he stood like a silent sentinel. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>James Larabee Junior wasted no time in receiving his younger brother. Slightly taller, with hair that was graying so that it made it appear almost ash blond, the older man was larger by way of a softer life. Yet what he lacked in musculature, he made up for in stature, easily bear-hugging his baby brother and lifting him up off the ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s my lil’ brother… emphasis on little…” he taunted cheerfully. “Good grief… don’t you ever eat? You gotta get you a good woman to feed ya’ and take care of you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin watched as James dropped Chris back to the ground and punched him in the arm. He tried to ignore the off-hand comment, sure that it was only meant in the most teasing way. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Looks like you never miss a meal, Jimbo,” Chris threw back, offering his own feigned blow to the bigger man’s gut.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, don’t start you two,” Lillian warned, coming between them. “You’re both too big… and too old… and I don’t plan to have my house destroyed at this stage of my life by some overgrown or overblown testosterone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah… well no worry of that happening with Chris here… is there </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span>…” a softer voice commented as a smaller woman stepped forward from the crowd. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello, Caroline,” Chris addressed the slim brunette. “Nice to see that your sweet disposition is just as refreshing as ever.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The woman shrugged and moved closer to offer the tall blond a hug. As they embraced, her eyes shifted over to Vin. Green like Chris’s they held nothing of the man’s affinity for Vin. Instead, like her younger sibling, she’d perfected the “Larabee glare” which she was currently shooting at the Texan as though he was the most despicable lowlife she’d ever encountered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked away from the woman, her piercing stare making him feel ill at ease. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright… alright… let me have my turn.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin turned back in time to see a fiery red-head pull the brunette off Chris before nearly jumping into his lover’s arms. Her tiny frame resembled Lillian’s in everything but her hair color and her generous smile rivaled Chris’s the rare times when the blond let himself relax and truly enjoy life. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> “Annie!” Larabee exclaimed, hugging the small woman and planting a quick peck to her forehead. “I’m loving the red!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She pulled away and jerked her head toward the towering man that stood back among the rest of the family. Vin assumed he was her husband by the way he looked at her with a knowing smile filled with affection. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can blame this on Thomas… it was his idea…” the woman replied as she retreated back to her tall spouse, curling up into his side. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He has good taste,” Chris tossed back. “But then, I’m a little biased, you being my sister and all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It worked out both ways,” she agreed. “But look at you. You look </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> good. I know I haven’t seen you in a while… but seriously, you’ve really got that whole Matthew McConaughey </span>
  <span>sexy man over 40 thing going on.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really, Annie?” Chris exclaimed. “You’re my sister…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The redhead shrugged. “Yeah, but I appreciate beautiful things,” she replied before stepping away from her husband and closing the distance to where Vin stood. “You the Vin I’ve heard so much about. The one responsible for my baby brother finally taking better care of himself again?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin blushed and dipped his head, wishing fervently that he’d chosen to leave his hair down instead of tying it up so that he’d have the long strands to hide behind. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes’m” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His short, nerve-stricken answer was augmented by how he shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. </span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Oooh, so polite and that drawl...” Anne continued, rising up onto her tiptoes to place a quick kiss on Vin’s cheek. “Good God, don’t you too just look like something out of a Men’s Health magazine cover?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright… enough Anne,” Lillian Larabee stepped forward and took her youngest son by the arm. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If Caroline was salt, then Chris’s younger sister was definitely the sugar. Vin immediately felt himself liking her even if she was as bold and audacious as a three-finger shot of tequila. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The family turned toward the house, Chris’s mother, brother and sisters along with their spouses and the children who had drifted over to check out the new arrivals leading the way. Vin found himself trailing at the rear of the pack, feeling like an interloper. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hadn’t expected anyone to greet him with open arms, didn’t know if or how Chris would introduce him. In the end, it just appeared as though the family wasn’t too surprised, but he couldn’t help but feel like other than Anne, and maybe Lillian, they weren’t real glad to see Chris show up with him in tow. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His reception hadn’t been icy, but it was certainly starting off a bit chilly.  He’d promised Chris to give it a chance so taking a deep breath, Vin walked toward the big white farmhouse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the group approached the porch, James Sr. paused at the bottom of the stairs. The others made their way inside but the older man hesitated, waiting until Vin reached the steps.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just a minute there, Mr. Tanner,” the elder Larabee called out, his hand reaching to take hold of Vin’s upper arm. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The young sniper jerked, his body tensing slightly at the sudden unwelcome contact. Vin forced himself to relax, recognizing there was no threat, yet one look into the older man’s face, he wasn’t totally sure. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>James Sr. cleared his throat. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know my son cares about you…” he began. “I know you seem to care about my son…but this weekend is about family… family comes first. Just know that…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The old man released his grip on Vin’s arm and moved away quicker than Tanner might have given him credit for his age. Vin just stood there, the sounds of a family reuniting drifted out of the house and mixed with the happier melodies of Keith Urban playing faintly from the radio. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He glanced back at the Ram, considered getting in, and just driving off. Surely there’d be a hotel near the interstate he could get a room for the weekend? Would Chris really miss him? He’d be so busy catching up with family and friends and taking part in the anniversary celebration, he’d probably not even realize Vin wasn’t around. </span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Except Chris would.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And how was Vin going to explain this little encounter? Should he even mention it?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin sighed. Maybe it was nothing more than an old-fashioned father watching out for his family… safeguarding his son. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sure… that was all. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Like Chris had told him. He was reading far too much into everything. It wasn’t as if James Sr. had told him to leave… hadn’t come out and outright threatened him. He was just protecting his family. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Would Chris do any different? Would he?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin didn’t know the answer to that question. He just knew this was going to be a long weekend. One he hoped his heart… and his relationship with Chris… would survive. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Drawing in a deep breath, he took the steps up into the house. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***M7***</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Saturday morning began with Vin greeting the rising sun as was his norm. He stretched as much as the small space on the full-sized bed would allow even his athletic frame, Chris having managed to spread out across the middle being accustomed to their king-sized mattress. He supposed he should be thankful they were even sharing the same room much less the same sleeping arrangements considering the awkward conversation leading up to the end of the evening. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For the most part, he’d tried to just sit passively and listen as the Larabee family lounged around the huge living room, young and old all sprawled on various pieces of furniture or reclined on the hardwood floor, each recounting stories of past exploits or childhood memories much to the delight of their parents, siblings or current family members. Vin felt the odd warmth fill him as he watched Chris join in. His lover relaxed in a way that Tanner rarely witnessed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was comforting to watch but also made Vin feel oddly out of place. He had nothing to contribute, no odd or funny stories of his own childhood. No memories of his parents or of holidays or vacations spent together. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On the upside, no one called on him to share. So he smiled at the appropriate times and laughed softly when it was called for. Mainly, he tried to just keep a “respectable” distance from Chris, not wanting to antagonize James Sr. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At one point, Chris rose from his chair to grab another beer, purposefully brushing his hand across the back of Vin’s neck as he passed. The touch was fleeting, but the soft smile Chris cast down as he passed spoke volumes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin returned the glance, but as he looked back to the group he saw that Chris’s sister Caroline was now scowling at him from across the room. She curled her lip in disgust and turned her face away before rejoining the conversation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Later, as Lillian yawned and began to excuse herself to bed, the question of where everyone was going to sleep came up. Unbeknownst to Chris, his siblings had already claimed their childhood rooms which his parents had upgraded from their former twin beds to larger frames for the married couples. When Lillian suggested that Chris would retire to his old bedroom, the youngest Larabee protested asking how in the world he and Vin would ever squeeze into a twin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And that’s when things turned interesting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>James Jr. was the first to protest. “I’m not really comfortable having to explain to the kids about you two sharing a room together. It’s hard enough when they ask about you both…” he said matter-of-factly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seriously Jimmy…” Chris exclaimed. “Your kids are how old now? And you live in Chicago… I wasn’t under the impression that Chicago was the most puritan of cities anymore.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Really Jim,” Anne chirped in, “Wasn’t that Ryan that mom caught watching PornHub on his cellphone yesterday morning… and if I wasn’t mistaken, it was girl on girl action too! Kinda gay… isn’t it… I mean if we’re being technical and all?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now Annie…” Lillian interrupted. “You don’t have to be so crass. And Ryan is just a healthy teenage boy…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The redhead shrugged. “Just not fair… can’t have the pot calling the kettle black…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you trying to say that my son is… is a… a …” James Jr. stammered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think the word you’re looking for is homosexual… and before you say anything else, you better be damned sure what and how you say it… BIG BROTHER…” Chris threatened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No one is saying anything. Can we all just calm down a bit?” Lillian pleaded looking between her two sons. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really Chris…” Caroline began. “ I don’t understand what the big deal is with a twin bed - It’s not like you and him are even married…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin watched, his heart pounding in his chest as the drama unfolded. He’d known this was going to happen. He’d warned Chris. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Larabee didn’t miss a beat and with cold green eyes, he spun on his sister. “You’re right, Caroline,” he snarled. “It’s not like a twin bed ever slowed you down did it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His older sister stood there, mouth agape as she sought a comeback for Chris’s reference to her promiscuity. Instead, she stormed out of the room to a chorus of laughter from her other siblings. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Anne strode over to stand by her younger brother, patting him firmly on the back even as she pulled Vin by the arm closer. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“God I missed you, Chris. I’ve been putting up with her bullshit for so long… it’s great to see someone put her in her place.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lillian shook her head and snorted. “Can’t you four get through just one weekend without sniping on each other?” she asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She started it…” both Chris and Anne replied simultaneously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Well, I’m ending it,” Lillian Larabee answered. “We’ve got a long day tomorrow, so everyone off to bed. And Christopher, you and Vin are sharing your old room and there </span>
  <em>
    <span>IS</span>
  </em>
  <span> a full-size bed in there. So don’t let these fools get your dander up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris turned to look at Vin, his eyes filled with warmth and love. He leaned closer and slipped his arm around the smaller man’s shoulders drawing him in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let me show you my old bedroom.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Anne groaned. “You guys </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> gonna keep it down tonight… some of us don't get any but on holidays and anniversaries… not me of course… right honey… but you know… that’s why Jimmy is so ornr’y.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The older Larabee sibling flashed her his middle finger but meekly followed his wife up the stairs. Anne for her part, flashed a suggestive grin at both Chris and Vin before smacking her husband on the ass and chasing him toward the stairs.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin followed his lover to the bedroom, surprisingly still decorated with remnants of Chris’s accomplishments from his former high school days, yet also tastefully modern and country. It spoke of Lillian’s hand and while he wanted to ask Chris about his childhood in this place, the lack of sleep and the length of the drive plus the late hour was fast catching up to him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They undressed quickly, diving under the covers even as the soft giggles from the other side of the wall signaled that Chris’s sister Anne and her husband Thomas were not as tired as they were. Vin sighed as he snuggled into the soft weight of the homemade quilt, Chris’s nearby warmth helping to quiet the evening’s tension. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t let them get to you…” Chris whispered as though he had read Vin’s thoughts. Vin had drifted off wrapped in Chris’s arms and the lingering touch of his lips. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s rattlin’ away in that head of yours?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin startled to Chris’s voice, the blond now awake and leaning up on one arm as he stared at his lover. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jus’ thinkin’ about you… this room… and all the hot young country girls you probably brought up here…” Vin answered with a mischievous smirk. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris shook his head in denial. “Nope… not a one,” he denied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What? Were ya’ savin’ yourself for me way back then…” Tanner teased.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Larabee laughed deeply and shook his head. “Hardly!” he exclaimed. “First of all, my mother would have died a hundred deaths if she’dve ever caught me up here with anyone… male or female… and then my dad would have tanned my ass until there woulda been nothing left for you to sink that incredible cock of yours into today… “ Chris explained with a suggestive raise of his eyebrows and a quick brush of his hand between Vin’s legs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tanner jerked away and flashed his partner a deadly look. “Don’t be startin’ something we can do nuthin’ about, cowboy,” he warned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He watched as the blond pouted, offering his own smirk in response.  Chris settled back, his hand moving to rub his own shaft in disappointment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you have to know, the real reason I never had anyone up here,” he continued. “It’s ‘cause I always took them out to the hayloft in old man Kramer’s barn.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seriously?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris nodded and began to laugh. “Hell, for the longest time, my dad thought I  had a part-time job stackin’ hay for that old man. Thank god he never asked what I did with the money I never seemed to earn.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin joined in the laughter. “Did your folks ever find out?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh boy did they ever… Problem was, that old hayloft was about a hundred years old. Old man Kramer never put a dollar into upkeep so the boards were pretty rotten. One Wednesday afternoon after football practice, I took Bethany Taylor out to that barn. Hell, it probably took me the better part of my senior year to get into that girl’s pants…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t tell me…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yep… we’re going at it- well… just started actually… hell, I don’t think I’d but barely got my dick inside her and gave her a hump or two when there’s this godawful creek and groan… the floor starts moving and trust me… it wasn’t cause I was so earth-shattering at my delivery back then…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not like now?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You being a smartass?</span>
  <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Never hear me complaining do ya’?” Vin quipped. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris smiled warmly and continued. “Anyway, the whole damn loft collapsed. If it hadn’t been for all the hay, well… I’m sure we woulda’ gotten really hurt. But as it was, she dislocated her shoulder and I trashed my knee… but worse than that was trying to explain to our parents how we got hurt and where and why she couldn't get her bra back on or why my briefs had straw in them at the hospital.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin couldn’t help it but he was rolling with laughter at the thought of his lover having to recount the events leading up to the coitus-interruptus in the barn. The image of a young Chris, bare-assed and covered in straw trying to help his girlfriend put on her bra was just priceless. Oh, what he wouldn’t have given for a video of that. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It wasn’t funny…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin continued to chuckle. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m tellin’ ya… my folks took my car… I got benched for the remainder of the season ‘cause of my knee and Bethany never did talk to me again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is the hayloft still there?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hell, last I knew it was. But I imagine it can’t be more than a bunch of boards barely leaning on each other. Mostly kindling by now I’d guess. Why? You want a re-enactment?” Chris suggested. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin shook his head. “I think I’ll pass. With our luck, you’ll break a hip and I’ll break somethin’ even more important.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oooh… you’ll pay for that one, Tanner!” Chris promised as he surged forward to grab the wiry sniper, his hands gripping Vin’s bare waist and wrestling him over.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their bodies entwined, mouths nipping and fingers reaching to touch available skin. Lost in each other, they didn’t hear the soft knock on the bedroom door or even the squeak of the hinges as it was slowly opened and Lillian poked her head inside. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my… I’m so sorry… I thought you heard my knock,” the Larabee matriarch sputtered out her apology even as she was backing out of the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris launched from the bed, hair tousled and dressed only in his boxers he dashed to the door. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mom… it’s alright… you weren’t interrupting anything. We were just messin’ around… I mean… we were just clownin’... it wasn’t what you thought,” he explained as he reached for her arm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin buried himself back under the quilt and tried to hide his embarrassment, wishing for everything that the bed would just swallow him up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry Mrs. Larabee…” he mumbled from beneath the blanket. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just wanted to tell you breakfast would be ready shortly… if you want to come down and eat,” the older woman offered. “I mean… whenever you’re ready.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ll be right down,” Chris replied, closing the door behind her and stifling a snicker. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As her footfalls grew more distant, neither man moved or spoke. Finally, Chris slowly slid back to the bed and ripped the covers off of Vin, a broad grin beamed down on the embarrassed agent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can come out of hiding now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, Chris. Your mother… she thought…” Vin stuttered, his hand going up to cover his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris pulled it away as he leaned in and began planting kisses across Vin’s lips and jaw. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know what she thought… and so what? She walked in on me and Sarah once or twice too… big deal. She likes to play innocent, but my mom’s no prude. She can quote you lines from Midnight Cowboy, and saw Brokeback Mountain… twice. Jeeze, Vin… she may be older now… but the woman still spends most of her mad money in the smutty romance section at Barnes and Noble.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The blond resumed plundering the half-naked body of his lover, his lips roving downward to Vin’s neck and upper chest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But with us… me… I mean… in her own house…” Vin interjected. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris rose up. “Really? Do you even want to know all the times she and my dad had to chase Caroline and whatever cock with two legs she brought back, out of her bedroom? I’m serious… my older sister was a slut… probably still is… that’s why she can’t keep a man and all her kids have different last names on the birth certificates.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She sure don’t like me…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s just jealous cause you’re better lookin’ than anything she’s ever had in her bed. I’m guessin’ she took one look at that huge bulge in your jeans and it’s just eatin’ her up that she can’t have you…” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin shook his head at Chris’s blatant comment. </span>
  <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? Hell, you think I’m lyin’? I know what you’re packin’ in those 501s… love it even better when I get to </span>
  <em>
    <span>unpack</span>
  </em>
  <span> it…” Chris swooped low and made a dive for Vin’s groin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Didn’t your mom mention somethin’ ‘bout breakfast?” Tanner posed as he intercepted Chris’s head, pushing it away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Larabee rose up, pretending to be wounded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Could have breakfast in bed,” he suggested. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin shot him a dark look. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah… okay… you win. But later… we’re going for a walk out in the back part of the property and I’m going to show you some of the </span>
  <em>
    <span>hardwood</span>
  </em>
  <span> the Larabee’s are known for,” the blond promised. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hardwood, huh?” Vin repeated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah… the long… strong… robust… timber,” Chris described suggestively.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tanner nodded, sucking in a deep breath. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We need to go eat before I need a long, cold shower.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris laughed. “Yeah… me too.”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***M7***</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The U.S. Army had nothing on the breakfast meal at the Larabee household. Lilian and Chris’s sisters along with the older granddaughters worked with precision in the huge kitchen that amazed Vin. In short order, they’d whipped up enough eggs, bacon, potatoes, and pancakes to feed the entire family. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The food was served to the younger children first, mainly to keep them from carrying on, but was quickly followed up by servings to the adults at the nearly twelve-foot dining room table. Vin sat beside Chris and admired the workmanship as Chris explained that his dad and grandfather had crafted the beautiful piece from hickory harvested from their property. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The meal was eaten much in the same way that Vin remembered his days in the mess hall; lots of noise and hands constantly reaching for pitchers or bowls set in the center of the table. The conversation was mixed mainly due to the size of the table and how everyone was spread out. Seated near the middle, he could make out snatches of talk about the upcoming celebration between the women on one end as well as a conversation about the Cubs and Reds coming from the men on the other. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t bother to join in any of the talk, deciding it was just safer to be “seen and not heard.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The meal wrapped up, everyone finishing almost at the same time. Chairs pushed back with the women beginning to clear the table even as the men remained behind relaxing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin rose and started to gather the dirty dishware and cutlery, stacking up his and Chris's, as well as several others from their side of the table. He carried them out to the kitchen where the Larabee women were already cleaning up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, thank you, Vin,” Lillian responded graciously, taking the dishes from his hands and placing them on the counter. “You don’t have to help. We’ve got this. I’m sure the men are going to start getting the tents put up out back if you want to help them?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s no problem, ma’am,” the young sharpshooter replied. “I can help ya’ll clean up. You ladies did such a fantastic job cookin’ and fixin’ such a great meal, seems only right to help clean it up after I got to eat it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He was turning back to the dining room when he heard Caroline snort. </span>
  <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, c’mon, mom… ol’ Vinnie here is probably much more comfortable helping us women folk out in the kitchen than risking breaking a nail helping the men with those </span>
  <em>
    <span>awfully heavy</span>
  </em>
  <span> tents,” she snarked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin stiffened, the sharp jibe plainly meant as an insult on his sexuality. He did his best to ignore the woman but looked up just as Chris was coming around the corner. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There you are,” the tall blond called out. “Figures you’d be in here tryin’ to snag the leftover bacon off my mom.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tanner was about to reply, relieved but also nervous. A confrontation between Chris and his older sister over him was the last thing he wanted to start the day. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah… you caught me,” he answered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Looks like he could use the extra bacon,” Anne added, as she began filling the sink with water in preparation to wash. “Hell, do you know what it takes for me to stay this size? If I even sniff bacon, I gain fifteen pounds.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris swooped up behind the young Texan and wrapped his arms around Vin’s trim waist. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You should see the food he puts away. The team calls him and JD the human garbage disposals. His idea of the four food groups are anything made by Little Debbie, anything made by Lays, Beef in any form, and the strongest, blackest coffee that would melt the rust off dad’s old John Deere tractor,” Larabee joked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Anne laughed loudly and even Lillian snickered. </span>
  <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How in the world do you stay in such great shape?” the red-haired woman asked after a moment. “You must work out all the time. I’m just not that dedicated.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They call it AIDs, Annie…” Carolyn snarked as she roughly brushed by the two men not making any effort to hide her contempt. “It's the ultimate weight-loss plan.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin could feel Chris’s arms tighten around him, the blond’s muscles cording as he fought down the rising anger. Tanner placed his hand on Chris’s arm attempting to calm his partner. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay…” he said softly before pulling away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t far out of the room when he heard Chris go on the attack. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why do you have to be such a fucking cunt, Caroline?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a collective gasp from the other occupants of the kitchen, except for Anne who seemed to be the only one to offer a barely muffled giggle. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Christopher!” Lillian yelled. “I’ll not have that language used in this house.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Without missing a beat, the tall Federal agent stood his ground and replied without a hint of submission. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then start with telling your daughter to keep a respectful tongue in her mouth. Vin might be too polite to tell her what a bigoted bitch she’s being, but I don’t have a problem smacking the smartass right out of her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You wouldn’t dare…” Caroline hissed, coming to stand face-to-face with her much taller brother. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t you try me and see,” Chris shot back. “You think I haven’t dealt with  broads like you before?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bring it on…” the brunette taunted. “Big, badass, federal agent. I bet you always fight your boyfriend’s battles for him. I bet your boys from the Seals would be so impressed at how you’ve gone from kickin ass to shovin’ it up the ass…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh you can talk big, can’t you Caroline… that mouth was always your best and only asset. Seems like you can spew as much out of it as you can suck into it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Enough!” Lillian shouted even as Vin called out Chris’s name and moved closer to pull his lover away from the confrontation. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Chris! Stop!” he called out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is ridiculous” Lillian continued, shaking her head. “I’m not going to tolerate you two acting this way. Not to each other and not to anyone under my roof. If you can’t act like brother and sister, then at least pretend and keep a civil tongue in your mouths.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The siblings remained staring at each other for a few moments longer. Both Lillian and Vin acting as referees waiting for either acquiescence or a continuation of hostilities. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do I make myself clear?” the elder Larabee demanded, her tone and demeanor offering no leeway in the respect she was expecting from her adult children. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes ma’am…” Chris offered with a nod. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes mother,” Caroline replied before sharply turning on her heel and pushing her way back into the kitchen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The three of them remained standing there quietly; Vin with his hand still gripping Chris’s arm while Chris stood rigidly facing his mother. Lillian looked flustered; irritated, embarrassed and maybe even a little saddened by what had just occurred. Tanner watched her as she took a deep breath before brushing a strand of gray hair that had come to dangle across her brow, back behind her ear. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, mom,” Chris offered softly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked up at him then glanced over at Vin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How is this possibly </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> fault?” she replied cryptically. “Maybe just keep your distance from Caroline,” Lillian added as she turned back toward the kitchen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin wasn’t sure if that was directed at Chris or him. Maybe it didn’t even matter. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***M7***</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After the kitchen fiasco, Vin was sure that the day couldn’t get any worse. Chris guided him outside where at least the fresh air and the June sunshine were welcome respites to the recent tension in the house. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They made their way around the nearby yard, casually walking. Passing by the Ram, Vin was sorely tempted to beg Chris for the keys. But he’d promised to stick it out and other than Caroline, it hadn’t been all that awful. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well… other than Chris’s dad… and his older brother… and he wasn’t totally sure about his mom… but yeah… there was Anne at least? Maybe he could just stick close to Annie? She seemed to be the one person that didn’t have a thing for bashing gays. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He found it remarkable that Chris’s family had no problem with digging their spurs into him at any opportunity but seemed to avoid calling Chris out on being Bi-. He supposed they probably just didn’t want to accept that their ex-Seal/tough as nails son and brother was attracted to a man. Especially after Chris had been married to a woman. Vin figured they all just looked at him as some sort of virus Chris had picked up.  Sooner or later, Chris would ‘get better’ or get cured and get back to normal; and Vin would be gone. Good riddance to bad rubbish and all that. A phase their still-grieving son was going through. Confused… mid-life crisis… the usual excuses.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a typical response. One he’d heard himself more times than he could count. Even when he and Chris had first come out about being together, they’d been met with numerous questions from friends and co-workers questioning how either of them could “possibly” be together. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You’re both such strong, tough agents</span>
  </em>
  <span> - some would comment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You could have any woman you wanted</span>
  </em>
  <span> - others would say.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What many failed to realize except those closest to the two was that in each other, their souls had found their counterpart. It had never been about the sex but always about the peace, love and contentment the two men found in each other. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both had been lost and just surviving. In each other, they found a reason to actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>live</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry about my sister,” Chris offered after a bit. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin kept walking but looked up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why? I thought it was kinda funny actually.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris huffed and reached down to pick up a walnut. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s such a bitch… always has been,” he remarked as he reared back and threw the small projectile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s an unhappy person. Unhappy people like to make the people around them miserable too,” Vin replied simply.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris stopped in his tracks and it took a bit before Vin noticed that the older man was several feet behind him. He realized he was walking by himself and paused, turning to look for his lover. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” he called back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Larabee shook his head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>What</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Vin repeated. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris moved up beside him in five quick, ground-eating strides.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sometimes I don’t get you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin shrugged. “What do you want me to say?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That my sister is the queen-mother of cunts.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin laughed. “Wow! Don’t hold anything back. Tell me how you really feel about her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re talking Sigourney Weaver fighting that big fucking alien queen - mother of a fucking cunt,” Chris elaborated. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean… really… you kiss your momma with that mouth?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris rushed forward and pulled Vin close, his lips dipping down as he made to bite at the exposed flesh of the younger man’s neck. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No… but I damn sure will kiss every part of you with this mouth… and never hear you complain about it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin moaned. “That’s fer’ damn certain…” he agreed breathlessly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris added several more kisses before pulling back with a quick glance back toward the house. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Probably best not to aggravate things unnecessarily,” Vin suggested, following his gaze. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fuck them…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin sighed. “Chris…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Or better yet… I’d rather be fucking you…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Chris!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m serious, Vin. And I told you before we left. It’s going to be okay. My sister is just being…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah… I know… a cunt…” Vin interrupted. “But Chris… she was right about one thing. You shouldn’t have to defend me. And your mom shouldn’t have to be in the middle of you two fighting with each other. Not this weekend. That’s not what this weekend is about.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris let out a long breath. “I know… but I didn’t start this shit… and the family has made excuses for the way Caroline behaves for nearly twenty-five years.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s still your sister… they’re still your family.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re my family”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not technically.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah- ya’ are - in my heart… where it counts most,” Larabee said simply. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin’s eyes met Chris’s, and the two stood speechless, their hearts communicating as they so often did where words weren’t needed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“God, how I love ya’,” Vin announced after a moment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not as much as I love you,” Chris replied back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was about to reach for the older man’s hand and ask about the guided tour of the Larabee hardwood when a voice called out to them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, you two lazy asses gonna help, or you trying to hide and avoid the work?” Anne’s husband, Thom, called out from the big wraparound porch signaling the couple with a raised hammer in his hand.. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris waved back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I guess we have to earn our keep,” he said with some chagrin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“S’alright,” Vin shrugged as he started back toward the house. “We can show them some Denver muscle.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris followed him a step behind and Vin could feel his lover's eyes and the heated gaze that seemed focused on his ass. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You just be sure you don’t show too much of your Denver muscle… I’m not sharing…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not thinkin’ you’re gonna have much of a fight on your hands there, Larabee…” Vin called back over his shoulder. “If’n your family was any straighter, they wouldn’t be able to bend over to tie their shoes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris rushed up and swatted Vin’s ass before running past him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not worried about the men… it’s Annie that might take you out back and have her way with ya’.” he joked as he darted past laughing. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***M7***</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The plan was to erect several large tents in the large backyard in order to provide shade and a place to hang lights for later in the evening. According to Anne, in addition to the immediate family, there were about seventy-five or so other friends and neighbors that had been invited to join in the brief ceremony and subsequent celebration.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the time Chris and Vin reached the backyard, James Sr. had already taken charge and had directed where to place the big party tents. Four massive piles of white canvas had been placed strategically across the lawn in preparation of being assembled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, it’s going to take at least four men on each tent to get it lifted, but first thing is we have to fully lay out the tarps and stake down the poles,” James Sr. instructed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin and Chris naturally moved to work together on one of the tents. Joined by a couple of the younger boys, they began unfolding the heavy canvas. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve worked with these big party tents before,” Thom mentioned. “Last year for Megan’s birthday, we got one for the backyard. You want to be sure that you stretch out the canvas but not too tight or when you pop it up, it’s a bitch to get the big, center pole in.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris nodded in acknowledgment but as he walked back towards Vin to help pull the next piece of fabric he drew close and softly whispered in the Texan’s ear. </span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Be careful now… don’t want no problems gettin’ that </span>
  <em>
    <span>big pole</span>
  </em>
  <span> in later…” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin flashed him an angry glare before looking to see if anyone else was near enough to hear the blond’s risque’ comment. The rest of the family seemed focused on their work, but James Jr. met his eyes and shot a quick look of disdain back in his direction. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It took about forty-five minutes to get the actual tents opened and set exactly where they needed to go. Oddly enough, James Sr. was more particular about the placement than Vin would have expected, but the older man’s years of woodworking and attention to detail had the rest of them shifting and tugging until each structure was accurately placed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After spending nearly twenty more minutes just making minute changes to the tent they were working on, both agents were beginning to perspire.  With the first step completed, Chris and Vin being older and more experienced with tools than the teens, began setting the stakes that would secure the main poles that would hold the structure. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Each taking a sledgehammer, they worked their way around the sides and corners pounding the thick spikes into the ground. Neither man was particularly unaccustomed to the hard work involved, there was always something around the ranch requiring repair, and they tackled the physical labor without comment or complaint. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Across the way, Chris’s dad worked just as strong despite his age. Vin watched the older man out of the corner of his eye and found himself growing in respect. Here was a man who still lived by the old code of putting in a full day's work from sunrise to sunset, valuing a person’s word as their guarantee more than any contract, and placing honor, truth, and family above most everything else. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He understood more clearly where Chris got his strong sense of right and wrong, his moral compass. There were strong similarities between the men that extended past the physical features. The sparkling hazel of their eyes that had yet to dull despite James Sr.’s age and the high cheekbones and strong jaw that defined both men’s underlying tenacity. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And if Chris got those characteristics from his dad, then most certainly his gentler, more generous, and affectionate side, came from his mom; even if he kept that part of him more reserved for private moments with Vin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yet for all that Christopher Larabee was a copy of his father, James Jr, was not. Working on the same tent with his dad, the older sibling lagged well behind his dad. Definitely not in shape, each swing of the sledge seemed like a gargantuan effort for the somewhat rotund man. His breathing was audible from across the yard, his lungs blowing like a winded horse. His untucked Polo shirt was saturated with sweat and the graying blond of his receding hair was matted to his head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin did his best not to stare but found himself oddly curious at how Chris and his siblings could be so vastly different. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With his attention distracted, he didn’t notice Thom and Chris approach from behind. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s tackle the stakes on the last tent,” Chris suggested. “That way we’ll be ready to set them all up once Dad and Jimmy are done.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” Vin agreed and followed the two men over to where the final pavilion waited. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They worked together effectively, each man tackling a different corner and making their way towards the center. Vin enjoyed working side by side with Chris. Even before they’d become involved, as a member of Team 7, Larabee ran a tactical unit that functioned smoothly and without the common bureaucratic games or office politics that were the usual fodder of federal agencies. With Chris, each team member knew exactly what their role and responsibility was whether in the office or during an op. As the SAC, he tolerated no excuses but expected his men to give their best simply because he was willing to give them everything he had to make sure they were never put at risk. He backed them up with both his word and his actions, and they - in turn - became so tightly knit, their allegiance to their commander was nearly impossible to duplicate. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For Vin, Chris simply inspired respect from the first time they met. Despite Larabee’s penchant for hiding behind his well-crafted hard-exterior and menacing glares, Vin saw the brilliant tactician and selfless soldier that fought for principle and still believed that there was good in the world worth fighting for. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tanner didn’t know Chris’s history when he’d first joined the team and in fact, had more than his fair share of a shitty life experiences that listening to someone else’s problems was like trying to one-up a buddy over a “worse-date-ever” story. It hadn’t even been until Buck had pulled him to the side one day, maybe six months into his time with the team and just before September when Chris had been acting strangely off. Chris’s long-time friend explained that the approaching date was Larabee’s deceased son’s birthday, then going on to share the brief details of how Chris had been married with a young son only to lose his family in a tragic accident.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin had never broached the topic with Chris, even as the two men began spending more of their free time together. Their relationship had developed from their easy-going rapport; the way both of them could simply be in each other’s company with no demands and yet feel utterly content. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even if he and Chris had never become lovers, Vin felt as though he could have been satisfied just being at Larabee’s side; the older man’s best friend, confidant, and partner. But that they’d taken the next step, reaching out to each other physically, bonding and committing to each other, filled Vin with a feeling of both utter joy and paralyzing apprehension. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t believe that his life could be so wonderful and happy. And yet, he always feared the forces that could snatch that happiness away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You got something against that stake?” Thom asked, drawing up to Vin’s side and startling the young sniper. “Don’t forget, we gotta take these back outta the ground at some point.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin stopped mid-swing, the hefty maul still heaved above his shoulder. Lost in thought, he hadn’t been paying close attention to his task, the stake he’d been working on was buried nearly all the way into the soil. Smiling sheepishly, he lowered the hammer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Ahhh… geeze’... I uh… I’m sorry… I guess I got a little carried away.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thom laughed and slapped Vin on the back. Larger than Josiah, the towering man nearly propelled the smaller agent into the approaching body of his lover. Chris caught the stumbling Texan even as he reached out to right himself by grabbing Larabee’s arm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oops… sorry, Vin,” Thomas apologized. “Annie’s always telling me that I don’t know my own strength. Say’s I’m always too rough with the kids or breakin’ something around the house.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin grinned back and waved the gentle giant off. “It’s okay. No harm. Besides, I’m kinda used to it. We have a couple guys on our team that tend to forget that the rest of us were at the end of the line when God was handin’ out the extra helpins’ of muscles and such.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thomas laughed heartily and Vin found himself genuinely liking the big man. He seemed like the perfect complement to Chris’s sister Anne. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Watching you work, Vin, I doubt that the bigger guys get much over on you,” Thom commented. “You and Chris busted ass with those sledgehammers. I wish I had a few more guys like you two working for me at my construction company.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris beamed proudly and flung an arm around Vin’s shoulder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for the compliment, but Tanner here gets the credit. Don’t get me wrong, I try to stay in shape, but I’m a slouch compared to him. This freak runs 5 miles, three times a week, and holds a black-belt in Brazilian JiuJitsu. He’s also studied several other martial art disciplines and until last year was our inter-agency champion; would’ve been then too except he dislocated his shoulder a month before the competition during an op.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thom whistled appreciatively. “Remind me not to piss him off then!” he joked. “I’ll remember to stay away from those hands of yours.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris chuckled. “But that’s not his real claim to fame. He’s my team sniper. Best shot and top marksmen in the western division. So if you’re worried about the hands, you might want to be sure you stay well out of his range - say about 600-800 meters.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thomas was properly impressed. Vin, despite Chris’s tendency to enjoy bragging about his lover, hated the attention and had turned as red as the scarlet color of Thom’s Cincinnati t-shirt. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like you’re the guy I need to take hunting with me next year. Anne gives me so much crap because I never bag a buck… I’m a horrible shot,” the big man lamented. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d love to go,” Vin readily agreed. “In fact, maybe you all could come out to our place sometime. The ranch property runs right up into the foothills and we usually get a couple of bucks and at least one doe each season - enough to keep the population under control and keep meat in the freezer. Plus, if you really want a thrill, we could go after some elk or a bighorn.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thom beamed and nodded eagerly. “I’m sure I’d probably suck at it, But just to have a chance to get out there and track big game like that. Get it in my sights… wow… that would be awesome.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then it’s a deal,” Chris agreed. “We’ll put some plans together before the weekends over.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are you boys planning?’ Anne asked as she walked up on the three men, casting a suspicious eye. “Somehow I’m sure it’s going to involve large purchases from Cabelas and in camouflage no less…” She groaned. “Gah… I despise camouflage… I look so washed out in camo.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They all laughed at her feigned lament. </span>
  <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Chris and Vin were inviting me to their place to go hunting this fall,” Thom explained to his wife. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just you?” Anne exclaimed. “What am I, chopped liver? Why do I have to stay home and be babysitter and housekeeper? I wanna come too!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thom quickly backpedaled. “No… no… I meant us… but Vin, Chris and I are  going hunting… and I’m sure you will find plenty of new shopping in Denver… right Chris?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah!,” the younger Larabee quickly agreed. “LoDo has some fantastic shopping and then there’s… uh… ummmm…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nice try, Christopher… like I’d trust any of you to know a boutique from a thrift store. Relax… while you boys are playing caveman, I’ll find my way around and stay occupied,” Anne assured them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thom groaned. “Oh boy. I better start saving up now. The extra baggage fees back to Cincy alone will probably break the bank.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Anne glared at her husband and swatted him on the chest, but there was no real anger in it, just playful banter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin smiled as he watched the couple. He wondered idly if Chris and Sarah had behaved like this. Had they been this happy? This playful… this obviously in love? He tried to visualize a younger Chris and with the woman that he only knew from pictures, but the image of his lover seemed distorted when he tried to superimpose Chris over Thom and Sarah over Anne. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He forced the thought from his head. It was him and Chris together now. Their love and their relationship.  While Sarah would always hold a special place in his lover’s heart- one he didn’t deny Chris - he also knew he wasn’t competing for it either.</span>
  <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Enough screwing around. You guys better go over there and help Dad and Jimmy get that last tent staked before either Jimmy has a stroke or Dad just flat out kills him,” Anne advised. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The three men turned and looked back to where the other Larabee men were still working on their structure. Chris’s dad had stopped to grab a bottle of water and was speaking with Lillian while James Jr. was slowly pounding one of the two remaining posts into the ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We got it,” Vin offered, picking up the sledge and heading toward the other tent. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris followed just behind but Vin moved past James Jr. without a word and simply picked up the remaining stake and placed the tip into the soft soil. He raised the massive mallet landing the first strike and was about to hit it again when a strong grip on his upper arm stopped his movement. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin turned to see that James Jr. had a hold of his bicep and was glaring at him angrily. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just tryin’ to help,” Tanner answered kindly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, well, we don’t need </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> help…” James Jr. snapped. “In fact, there’s nuthin’ about you that we need - or want - around here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not wanting to start a confrontation with the obviously irate and intolerant man, Vin held out his hand in conciliation and began to back away..</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t mean to cause’ no problems…” he offered softly, as much to James Jr. as to Chris who he’d seen move in just behind his older brother. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, well then you shoulda’ kept your faggot-ass at home in Denver where you belonged,” James Jr. snarled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Caught off-guard by the blatantly insulting comment, Vin could only stand there, his eyes flashing around the yard as he searched the faces of the rest of the assembled family to see their reaction. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Anne and Thom closed ranks around Chris while Caroline somehow appeared from out of nowhere to come to her older brother’s side. James Sr. remained seated on the picnic table, casually sipping from the bottle of water as though he were watching a pay-per-view event, and even Lillian, who’d earlier held no tolerance for the coarse language or her children’s bickering, did little more than stand in silence at her eldest’s derogatory insult. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck is your problem, Jimmy?” Chris tore into his older brother.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“He is,” the older man replied, stabbing a finger at Vin. “What were you thinking bringing him here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was thinking that he’s my partner and I love him. I thought that my family would respect that or at least have the decency to not be intolerant assholes for the weekend.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But this isn’t about </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Christopher... “ James Jr. yelled back. “Contrary to what you may think, not everything in this family is about you!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I never said it was,” Chris responded. “How is Vin and I coming here together any different than you and Janine … or Anne and Thom?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It just is… tell him… Mom? Dad? Caroline… you guys tell him how bringing his boyfriend here is wrong.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Vin watched in horror as Chris pled his case before his family. The youngest of the four siblings looked from his brother back to his parents.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not like you’re even married,” Lillian murmured. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not like any decent church would marry them anyway…” Caroline finally spoke. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is that what makes the difference to you people?” Chris shot back. “That we don’t have a piece of paper from some official… or we weren’t sanctioned by some self-righteous pastor from a church? I’m sure we can pay some preacher enough money to officiate over a ceremony if that will make you all feel better. After all, it's not like anyone’s ever cared about the sanctity of marriage and vows when it came to Caroline and her relationships… so I guess I’m a little confused about why it's so important for Vin and me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin glanced over to Lillian to see her response, but the older woman had shrunk back, quietly now standing there with her head down. Beside her, James Sr still sat on the bench, his arms crossed and just looking perturbed or inconvenienced. Vin wondered if the man was more upset about the fact that his children were arguing over his son’s gay lover or that they were wasting time that was better spent in preparation for the coming party. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s just call it what it is,” Caroline stepped forward to stand by her older brother. “Your entire life you’ve gotten away with everything being the baby of the bunch. Even worse, Mom and Dad doted on every damn thing you’ve done. Chris joined the Navy…Chris passed his SEAL training… Chis is on a Team… Chris earned a Purple Heart… Chris joined the ATF… oh my fucking god… I swear… I can’t even stand your name sometimes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I never did anything to you, Caroline… you had just as much opportunity as anyone. Jimmy went to college, got his Masters, became a teacher. Annie went to college, became an architect. We all choose our paths.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not arguing that…” the brunette replied. “I’ve made my mistakes… I know that… they’re all mine. But fuck, you waltz in here with… with… </span>
  <em>
    <span>HIM</span>
  </em>
  <span>… and it’s like we’re all supposed to act like here’s Christopher, coming home with the prize mate...</span>
  <em>
    <span>again.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin could feel his stomach knotting, bile, and breakfast churning inside even as his heart began to pound in his chest. There was no mistaking that James Jr. had strong feelings about him and Chris that stemmed from homophobia, but Caroline’s issues were something else entirely. She might hate him for being gay, but it seemed she resented her brother more for being successful. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He knew where this was leading. It was his nightmare coming to fruition. Somehow he needed to defuse the situation and the only way he could figure to do that was to remove the source of the problem. Him!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can’t blame Vin for why you’re pissed off at me,” Chris continued trying to rationalize with his siblings. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You two aren’t being very fair to Vin,” Anne interjected. “You haven’t even taken a chance to get to know him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And why should we?” James Jr. argued. “He doesn’t belong here. He’s not family and he never can or will be. This whole thing is just… </span>
  <em>
    <span>disgusting.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have a problem with who I love?” the blond challenged. “You think that there can’t be a soul-deep connection with a person unless they’re the opposite sex? Or is it the sex part you’re hung up on?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, now that you mention it…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, well that’s your problem, Jimmy… not mine or Vin’s. And honestly, I feel sorry for you if you’re so limited in your life that you can’t love beyond looks or physical attributes,” Chris said sadly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>James Jr. snorted, rolling his eyes. “Don’t preach to me. I’ve had a wonderful marriage with great kids. I know the difference between right and wrong. I don’t need you showing up here acting like the savior and trying to show me up in front of Mom and Dad like usual.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin watched Chris shake his head. He knew his lover well enough to tell see the signs of stress and frustration; the tense set of his body, the slight tic of the muscle in his jaw, and the tell-tale pulse of the small vein in his forehead were all indications that his partner was on edge.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So again, this is really more about me than anything. You and Caroline… you both have some problem with me? Vin is just a convenient target because he’s with me,” Chris clarified. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Caroline huffed. “I honestly couldn’t give a rat’s ass about Vin or if he’s gay or even if he can suck your cock until your balls turn inside out…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Caroline!” Lillian exclaimed, finally intervening in the conversation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin glanced at the old couple, embarrassed now not only because of being the cause of the family discourse but also that Chris’s sister could be so crude to make a comment about their sex life. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Caroline, you need to just stop,” Anne demanded. “You and James both…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shut up, Annie…” James Jr. warned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What really pisses me off,” Caroline went on. “Is that you show up here with him like it's all just so normal. You don’t give a damn about any of us. You don’t even bother to tell any of us. No phone calls or anything to break the news that you have a gay lover… or to even ask if you can bring him along to the anniversary party. No, you just show up… because that’s what you do. Not even the decency to ask Annie and me after all the planning and time we spent on putting this together. How do you think that makes us feel?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Things became suddenly quiet following the brunette’s rant. Chris looked flummoxed as he stared back and forth between his siblings. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And there it was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin could feel everything closing in on him despite being outside. The sun was still brightly shining, the rays breaking through the cover of the trees. Birdsong echoed through the air, boisterous as he noticed it compared to the unexpected silence  that had settled among the group. The beauty and peace of the little country home was a stark contrast to the turmoil that had just occurred. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And it had all been spoiled… </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Because of him. Because he loved Chris.  Because they dared to be together and love each other. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d warned Chris that coming home with him might result in a problem with his family. He’d been right. Now, there was only one way to make it all okay.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Slowly, Vin began to remove himself from the scene. So focused on each other, he doubted that Chris or the others would even notice. After all, it’s what he’d been trained to do as a Ranger sniper; get in, make the shot, get out. Don’t be seen, stay invisible… silent and deadly. A ghost. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d been one of the best. Still was; frequently disappearing and reappearing in places much to the dismay and often amazement of his teammates. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite even his best stealthy effort, Vin had to pass directly by James Sr., the patriarch of the Larabee family having moved from his earlier perch on the picnic table and now was standing near the path to the front yard. He didn’t speak as Tanner approached, merely gave the young agent a hard, knowing look. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin nodded to the old man as though to say “you win.”  James Sr. nodded back and for the briefest moment, Vin thought he might have detected the slightest look of respect. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Firm on his decision although not completely set on the execution, Vin headed for Chris’s Ram. Thankful that Larabee had left the vehicle unlocked, he opened the rear passenger’s side door and grabbed the spare jacket that was tossed on the back seat. As luck would have it, there was a spare t-shirt he’d left behind some time ago stuffed underneath the seat. Vin grabbed that in addition to a bottle of water that was sure to be warm from sitting in the closed truck. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As fate would have it, Vin had left his wallet in the glove compartment during the drive yesterday. Retrieving the billfold, he cast a final glance back toward the sprawling house and the backyard beyond. He could still hear the faint sound of voices, Chris’s deep timbre in particular, and knew that the family tift was still not resolved. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could only hope that Chris and his siblings would work things out now that he was going to be out of the way. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vin started down the long drive, his direction unknown, his feet walking aimlessly. His heart was pounding inside his chest as if he was still swinging the sledgehammer, as though the fragile organ was ready to burst - or maybe just shatter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He swallowed the lump that had suddenly risen in his throat, dipped his head, and told himself that the dampness trickling down his cheek was just perspiration. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Damn, how he hated being right. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***M7***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris could feel the anger coursing through him and fought to keep from losing his temper. He couldn’t believe that his own family was treating him this way and saying the things they were. Sure, he may not have had the best relationship in the world with his brother and sister, but never in a million years would he have expected to have been the recipient of such a ferocious attack. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then for them to go after Vin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He glanced over his shoulder, concerned that the shy Texan had remained so ominously silent. At first, Vin wasn’t where he’d last noticed him. Chris’s scan of the immediate yard revealed no sign of the lean sniper. The blond felt his anger give way to panic as his eyes frantically looked about for his lover. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you ever stop to think that it might just be respectful to ask us what we thought about you bringing him with you?” Caroline resumed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris turned back to his sister. He knew now why Vin had disappeared. He couldn’t really blame the man for choosing to retreat from what had become a vicious squabble between family members. One that involved him but that he was neither welcome to join nor could defend himself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Honestly, Caroline, I never thought I had to ask permission to bring him with me. And I’m not trying to be a dick about this, but it’s not like Vin and I are some casual one-night stand. You all may not approve, but this is real between us. I love him… and Jimmy… you can think whatever you want about that… but I love him as much as I ever loved Sarah. The connection we have is every bit as solid. So yeah… I never thought for a second that I needed to ask or announce it to any of you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It just would’ve been nice to know…” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris sighed. “Okay… I’ll admit that we don’t stay in touch like we probably should. But really Caroline… have you ever picked up the phone and called me? Hell, I had to find out about that fuckin’ prick Jackson from Mom... “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s not fair, Chris. I didn’t tell anyone about him for a really long time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But isn’t that your point? You’re busting my balls about communicating and talking to each other about our significant others and I have to find out from Mom that you got put in the hospital not once, but three times by that piece of shit. Don’t you know that I would have taken care of that loser before he ever got a second chance to hurt you,” Chris insisted? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The big, tough ATF agent swooping in to save the day… just like always,” the older woman sneered, but her earlier vitriol had lost most of its nastiness. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris approached her slowly and reached out to place a hand on her shoulder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No,” he replied calmly. “Just a brother that wanted to protect his sister… that loves his sister.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hazel eyes blinked rapidly up at the taller man and Larabee watched as Caroline’s breath hitched. Neither of them spoke and Chris moved slowly closer, careful that he didn’t press too quickly but hoping to re-establish the bond that had once existed between them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” he began, hoping to offer an apology for the lost time and the misunderstanding that had spiraled out of control. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For a moment, it looked as though he and Caroline had found their common ground. The brunette smiled wanly and drew in a deep breath before reaching up to pat him on the chest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Easy to say those words,” she said. “Not so easy for everything to just magically be okay… for years to just get swept under the rug like they never happened.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s tryin’, Caroline. You’re not exactly innocent either you know,” Annie interjected, tired of being silent as her family picked at each other like rabid dogs. “You seem to forget that only Mom, Dad, and I were the only ones that weren’t too busy to be there for Chris when he lost Sarah and Adam.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t seem like he’s too broken up over them anymore now.” James Jr.’s acerbic comment earned him a glare from both his sisters as well as even Lillian who was now standing beside Annie. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was a bad time then for me too,” Caroline recounted. “But… that wasn’t… I should’ve… I’m sorry, Christopher.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Swiping the back of her hand across her face, Caroline straightened her back and turned to face her older brother. </span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“I’m too tired and getting too old to stay angry. Family is all we have… and honestly, we have too much to do to be wasting time dredging up all this pettiness and hurt,” she said plainly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>James Jr. shrugged non-committedly. “Hey, don’t bitch at me. Things were going just fine until Christopher’s little ass-bandit wanted to pretend to be all butch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>The control on Chris’s temper failed and the agent charged his older brother with a deep bellow, rushing past Caroline and drawing back his fist to land a fury-filled right hook. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lillian screamed out his name and both Annie and Thom reacted trying to prevent him from attacking the other man. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the end, Chris pulled the punch thanks in part to a combination of restraint and an echo of a voice in his head that sounded vaguely like Vin’s and pleaded with him not to start a fight. </span>
  <span>His momentum, however, carried him into James Jr. and Chris struck the softer man in the belly driving the air from him with a loud grunt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris stumbled, nearly knocking James to the ground and it took a moment before both men managed to right themselves with the help of Thom and both their sisters. Larabee steadied himself and backed away even as James Jr. got back to his feet, although he remained slightly hunched over, and glared up from under darkened eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both men were breathing heavily; Chris because he was still angry and fighting down the adrenaline, and James because his younger brother had just nearly rearranged his rib cage. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lillian rushed to her sons, standing between them as though she couldn’t decide which one needed her attention more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Are you okay?” she asked generically, looking between the two men. </span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Fine,” Chris replied, shortly, his eyes once more roaming the yard to look for Vin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It... was a ...cheap shot,” James gasped. Chris would have laughed except inwardly he hoped his brother was feeling the hit. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That's enough… the both of you…” Lillian demanded.  “All of you! This is not exactly what I had in mind for celebrating our anniversary.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I don’t remember having family fist-fighting on the itinerary,” Annie joked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Probably didn’ ...have one … o’ us showing up …. with a gay boyfrien’... either…” James slowly panted out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just stop, James,” Lillian warned. </span>
  <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wanna try again? I can finish what I started, “Chris offered, eyes glaring. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>James Jr. waved him off with a shaking hand. “Nah… besides. Mom’s right. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m</span>
  </em>
  <span> not gonna be the one to ruin the weekend.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The older man turned and slowly walked away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris stared at his brother’s back for a long moment. He sighed loudly and ran a hand through his hair as he turned back to face his mother. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jimmy’s right about that,” he began, “I’m sorry mom. I never meant for any of this to happen.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lillian closed the small space between herself and her youngest. “I’m not blaming anyone,” she replied gently, patting his arm. “I just wish you all could get past these sorts of things. Someday you’ll realize that life is too short to spend even a minute being angry with people you love.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris nodded in agreement. “I’m not really angry with him, at least I wasn’t. But he’s got to stop talking about Vin that way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, what’s with all the homophobia?” Anne asked. “I’ve never known Jimmy to be so prejudiced. Usually, he’s the one that’s usually preaching tolerance.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“While I’ve always supported you all to believe as you wanted, I’ve never tolerated you being outright mean or cruel to others,” Lillian said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then why didn’t you say something before?” Chris challenged. “Vin’s been taking shots since the minute we got here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lillian frowned and nodded. “You’re right,” she said sullenly. “I guess I just thought it would all blow over and I didn’t want to pick sides. Besides, Vin seems so laid back and quiet. When we spent time with you both last year, he just didn’t seem to let anything bother him. I guess I thought it would be easier to just ignore it all and hope James and Caroline would just let it all be.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What about me? Even if you didn’t care about how it might have bothered Vin, hasn’t anyone figured out that all the digs and slurs are aimed at me too?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But what, mom? Vin’s gay and I’m not?” Chris threw out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well no… but… you…” Lillian stammered, even as Anne’s snickering seemed to make her fluster more. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris shook his head and added his own rueful snort. “I hate to have to break it to you all, but that’s not how this works.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Give mom a break, Christopher,” Caroline interrupted. “She doesn’t understand the difference between gay or bi or queer.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Christopher is not gay!” the older woman insisted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The laughter that rose from the Larabee children filled the backyard. </span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“He might not be gay, but you need to come to grips with the fact that your precious baby is most definitely bisexual,” Caroline said assuredly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lillian appeared shocked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why does it even matter?” Anne came to Chris’s defense once more. “Do you really care who he loves or who loves him so long as their relationship is solid and they treat each other right? I thought you always said you wanted us to be happy and find love. I’d say that Chris is pretty damn lucky. First, he had Sarah… and she was wonderful. And it was tragic when he lost her and we all thought he’d never get over it… right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The silver-haired woman nodded slowly and Chris felt his throat tighten as he stood there quietly while his family discussed a very sensitive part of his life. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I honestly didn’t know if Christopher would ever recover from that loss,” Lillian admitted. “My heart broke for him and I knew he wasn’t handling it very well. A mother can just tell.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You all don’t even know the half of it,” Chris admitted. “The months following the accident were the darkest days of my life. I drank all the time… even on the job. I took way too many risks and I was always itching for a fight. Poor Buck was on the receiving end of my temper and my fists far too many times. I don’t know why he put up with my shit, but he kept me from self-destructing… and getting canned from the agency. There were more nights than I can count that he poured me into my bed or managed to dump my ass into a cold shower and covered long enough that I could get into the office.”</span>
  <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Christopher… I’m soo sorry,” his mother said understandingly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just can’t imagine…” Anne chimed in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can,” Caroline added sympathetically. Chris looked at his older sister curiously. “I mean, I know what everyone thinks about me… but the truth is, I do… I did love some of them very much. And damn, it hurts a lot when they leave you… when you’re left alone and the love is gone. So yeah… maybe I’ve never had what Chris and Sarah had - or lost it in the same way… but I get the loneliness and emptiness…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris reached out and pulled his sister close and hugged her tightly. He held her even as he felt the smaller woman’s breath hitch slightly and he smiled warmly when he felt her arms reach up to wrap around his waist and return the embrace. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The siblings pulled apart after a few moments and Chris could see the redness in Caroline’s eyes. He didn’t call attention to it or the fact that Annie was trying to nonchalantly wipe at her own hazel orbs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The part you all don’t know… that I haven’t told you… is how Vin fits into all this,” Chris revealed. “About three years ago, when our division was developing a Rapid Response Team, I had to add on a couple of team members. One was a team sniper and I had gone through candidates from all over the western U.S. and a dozen different agencies. We were actually on a joint op with some U.S. Marshals out of El Paso when I’m chasing this perp through a warehouse. I bust through this door and come face to face with this long-haired Marshal, bastard damned-near shot me… but we manage not to kill each other and without a word, he just looked at me from across this open room and nods in the direction the perp had taken off.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Chris smiled at the memory as he paused in the recounting. The image of Vin from that first day, standing in the dimly lit warehouse, dressed in well-worn jeans and a ragged flannel shirt, a few-days worth of beard that made him look more dirty than rugged and his hair. Oh yeah, that hair, sun-kissed and loose, looking wild like the man who wore it and all Chris could think of at that moment was how it would feel running between his fingers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know it’s crazy but even right at that moment, we connected. There was just this silent communication thing… we never said a word to each other… we still don’t even a lot of times to this day… but we just know… what each other are thinking… what the other one needs. Getting together with Vin brought a peace to my life that I didn’t even know I needed until I had it. Now I can’t even imagine it not being there. I don’t want to. To say I love him just doesn’t even seem to convey the right word or feelings.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Does he </span>
  <em>
    <span>complete </span>
  </em>
  <span>you?” Annie teased, lightening the moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Shut up, Annie!” Chris shot back with a laugh and shove. He grew serious again quickly and looked back at his mother. “He saved my life, Mom. Just as sure as if he’d taken a bullet for me-which he has. But I can’t even begin to tell you how he’s just made my heart happy and put my soul in a place where there’s so much more happiness and less anger. I have something to live for now…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lillian reached up and placed her hands on the sides of his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then how can anyone tell your heart who you should or shouldn’t love. I saw firsthand how he took care of you when we were out there after you were shot. I guess I just was suspicious that maybe there was some ulterior motive. But I know I should’ve trusted you… and I should’ve given Vin the benefit of the doubt. I wasn’t very fair to him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris laughed. “Vin… ulterior motive. I doubt he even knows the meaning of the words. You’ll never meet someone who’s more self-sacrificing than Vin Tanner. In fact, that’s why he’s done the disappearing act now. I guarantee he’s taken off because he’s feeling responsible for all of us arguing and probably figures if he’s not around, we’ll all be one big happy family.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lillian pressed a quick kiss to Chris’s cheek. “Then go find Vin and tell him we have a lot of work to get ready for tomorrow. It would sure be nice if we could have </span>
  <em>
    <span>ALL </span>
  </em>
  <span>the Larabee family pitching in to help.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The blond smiled, relieved that it seemed that at least most of his family were now accepting of his and Vin’s relationship; if only he could figure out Jimmy’s issue.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be right back and we can finish setting everything up. He’s probably hiding out up in the room or maybe he’s sitting on the front porch.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s gone…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris looked up, startled, at his father’s bleak announcement. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean, gone?” he asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where did he go?” Anne asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t know,” James Sr. replied simply. “With all the hullabaloo going on back hare, I watched him grab some things from your truck and he took off walking down the road.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t stop him?” Chris cried out, even as he was fishing in his pocket for the keys to the Ram. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not my place… Man’s his own boss… make his own way if he wants to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you’d sure not mind if his place was somewhere other than here, wouldn’t ya’, Dad?” Chris shot back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>James Sr.’s eyes narrowed. “You’d be wise to keep a respectful tone with me, young man. You might be the man in charge back in Denver, but this is still my house.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“James, stop trying to start something with Christopher. He’s not a child anymore,“ Lillian directed her husband. “Your children are all grown and they all respect you. It’s time you treat them like adults and quit trying to send them to bed without dinner just because they don’t agree with you on everything.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris had always suspected that his mom only put up with his father’s behavior in public but in private kept the man in line with a sharp tongue and even sharper mind. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve gotta find Vin,” he exclaimed, “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry. We can manage here,” Anne assured him. “If you need us, just call me on my cell.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He nodded in reply but was already moving towards the truck. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Find Vin and let him know that not all of your family are assholes,” the redhead called out behind him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I told him that before we came here. Not sure he believed it then… surely doesn’t believe it after that little show… I just hope I can get him to believe that I’m not one for dragging him here and putting him through all this shit just to make</span>
  <em>
    <span> me </span>
  </em>
  <span>happy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If he loves you as much as it seems like he does… he already knows that…” Lillian assured him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris tried to smile at that as he reached the Ram. His mom was a pretty smart woman. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hopefully, she was right about this. </span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>tbc...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. SEARCH and RESCUE</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Oh to be a fly on the dashboard of the Ram.... *sigh*</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h3>
  <em>
    <span>Search and Rescue</span>
  </em>
</h3>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris had never considered just how many different roads and dirt tracks there were leading past their family house and back into Bedford. He’d grown up knowing each of them like the back of his hand, driving them with wild abandon back and forth to school or to his friend’s homes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He’d walked most of them too. Hunted in most of the woods that surrounded the area while growing up. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>So it amazed him that Vin could have just disappeared so quickly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Damn Texan is worse than a ghost,” Chris complained as he pulled the truck to a halt at a 4-way stop sign. He looked in each direction trying to decide which way to go yet fairly certain that Vin couldn’t have made it this far in the time since he’d left the house and Chris had given chase after him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Unless he’d managed to hitch a ride? But that was unlikely considering that Tanner wasn’t one to casually jump in a vehicle with a stranger despite being able to take care of himself. Past experience had been a painful teacher and Vin didn’t trust easily, rarely putting himself into situations where he could end up a victim.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ahead of him, the road led further away from the house and from town. But, and Vin wouldn’t know this, it eventually crossed Guthrie Creek which emptied a short piece later into the White Fork River. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knowing Vin, if there was a place the distraught young man would seek to find some peace of mind and soul, it would be someplace that offered less asphalt and concrete and more Ash trees and catfish. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Still, despite Tanner’s almost uncanny ability to track a fly across an empty glass, Chris highly doubted that he knew his way around rural Indiana. He wasn’t even sure if he had his cell on him in order to pull up a Google map. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“His cell!” Chris exclaimed, slamming his fist against the steering wheel. “How damn stupid can I be?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Thumbing the button on the steering wheel he engaged the Bluetooth device and waited for the prompt. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Call… Vin…” he said succinctly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There was a pause as the call connected and Chris felt himself fill with hope only to be disappointed when Tanner’s voice answered with the muffled sound of his voicemail message. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“This is Vin… leave a message.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris ended the call then cursed his stupidity once again. Just because he got Vin’s voicemail didn’t necessarily mean that his lover didn’t have his cellphone on him. Knowing Vin, he may have just been avoiding Chris’s calls or could’ve just been in a dead zone.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He dialed again and waited for the prompt. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh...ummm… Vin… it’s me… when you get this message… call me back. I’m out looking for you. Everything is alright. I promise. I wish you would have waited. And… and I’m sorry. I know you thought this was gonna happen and it kinda did… but I swear… I never in a million years saw this comin’... and I never meant for you to get caught in the middle of my family drama… and I… well, damn… I love ya’... you gotta know that… and I’d never want you to get hurt by anything my brother or sister would say to make you feel bad… and I…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Press 1 to send your message… press 2 to erase and re-record...press..” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris growled and thumbed the number 1 on the keypad. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Which way to go?” he mumbled. “Dammit, Tanner... “</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The road to the left led towards town. Chris thought he remembered an old roadhouse that used to be located along the country road. He hadn’t been past that way in many years and chances were the old bar was gone, but just maybe Vin had found his way there and was killing brain cells in an attempt to chase away his misery. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was really more of Chris’s tactic than Vin’s, but it was worth a shot. He turned the big truck onto the road and started slowly in the new direction. His mind was reeling and even having the window down and the warm air blowing in his face did little to make him feel any better. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The thought of Vin walking away tore at his heart. The memory of their conversation the night before they’d left to drive to Indiana was replaying in his mind. His partner had been getting more anxious in the days leading up to the trip, withdrawing by increments even as Chris tried to assure him that nothing was wrong. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He’d known better. After two years of getting to know all of Vin’s insecurities and working to assure the younger man that their relationship was solid, he should have known that Tanner’s fear of meeting his family or worse, not being accepted was worse than his fear of small spaces. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>What had Chris done? Filled him with half-assed assurances and guarantees that everything would be okay. Promised Vin that his family would accept him with open arms like one of their own. Told the man that he was worrying for nothing even as he’d seduced him with kisses and sex to distract him away from the demons that whispered in his head and reminded him of all the years he’d endured unkindness and bold-faced hatred in every form. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You can be a grade-A bastard sometimes, Larabee,” Chris condemned himself with a quick look in the rear-view mirror. The face looking back held lines that were more pronounced than usual; stress causing his features to appear more haggard and worn.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He knew Vin would forgive him. He always did. But Chris worried that someday that gentle soul would be fractured beyond anyone’s ability to repair.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A hundred lifetimes could never be enough to show Vin the kind of love he deserved. And he definitely deserved it. Not that the man was perfect, not by any means. Chris could attest to that. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin had a mean streak in him that was as vile and violent as a grizzly bear coming out of hibernation. The only reason no one ever saw it was because he also managed to have an unbelievably long fuse. It seemed nearly impossible to get the man pushed to the point of losing control, but once you did, Vin Tanner was not a man to be messed with. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There were times that Chris had thought that the Texan simply didn’t care about much, that he was unaffected by the horrors that they came in contact with on a near day-to-day basis in their line of work. He’d been wrong. It wasn’t that Vin didn’t care, it was that he cared too much. And the only way that he survived not losing his mind was to not let it all eat away at him; all the pain and suffering and human atrocities. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But even Vin had his limits, especially when it came to kids. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris knew that Vin had a soft spot in his heart for the innocent ones, especially those out on the street, like he’d been, who didn’t have anyone to watch out for them, who were lost and alone, who the world looked past as though they didn’t exist or used them as though they were little more than expendable things. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was then that Chris had seen the darker side of Vin Tanner, the anger and physicality that made him realize he should never underestimate the man’s lethality or Vin’s ability to do intentional harm. Chris had never seen it often, maybe only once or twice in all the times he’d known Vin; but those times had scared the hell out of him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Thankfully, it was the gentler side of Vin that superseded those less prominent characteristics. The personality that most everyone knew that spoke of a quiet, nearly shy yet often extroverted when it came to pulling pranks on his teammates, young man that was polite to the point of making the older ladies want to mother him or the younger women think he was fake. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He’d give a person the shirt off his back and then apologize that he didn’t have a coat to give to, the whole time while he was freezing to death without so much as a minute of complaining. He never expected anything from anyone, except maybe to be let down, and far too often, that’s what happened. Yet, things had been turning around for the young Texan. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Or at least that’s what Chris had hoped. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And now, Larabee was determined that Vin was going to see that this was not just another in his long history of things that just didn’t work out. Vin wasn’t going to end up ‘settling’ for whatever he could get, but rather he’d get everything he deserved and more. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris slowed the Ram as he spotted the weather-worn sign that indicated Barney’s Place just up on the right. He pulled off the road and into the gravel parking lot next to the only other vehicle, another Dodge pickup, although there the similarities ended. Unlike the Ram, the other truck was many years older, a couple of decades in fact, and was two-tone red or would have been when the paint was new. The body was held together by patches of Bondo and primer making the whole vehicle look like a bizarre sort of patchwork quilt. But it was still on the road, and Chris supposed that’s all that mattered to the driver. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The agent killed the engine to the big truck and paused before climbing out. The little roadside bar looked deserted but the neon OPEN sign flashed in the front window. He was having serious doubts that Vin would be inside but since he’d already driven up and down the roads leading to and from the farmhouse with no sign of his lover, this was one of the last places to look.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Pulling open the worn door, the hinges squeaked to announce his arrival, Chris stepped into the dark bar. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dimly lit interior, the jukebox in the corner had on an old Conway Twitty song that Chris would’ve never recognized if his mother hadn’t played the music non-stop when he was growing up. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He quickly scanned the joint, not that the place was big compared to the Saloon, and found two forms seated against the bartop. The first was likely the owner of the decrepit Ford parked outside. Chris was pretty certain since the man looked about as patchwork as the truck. Even from his place by the door and considering the low lighting, the old guy looked to be pushing eighty or more, wearing baggy denim and a flannel shirt that had seen its better days. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Luckily, it was the other occupant that made Larabee’s heartbeat just a bit faster. Two stools down and hunched over a bottle of Coors, the long loose hair shrouded the face but couldn’t hide the unmistakable form.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris moved slowly across the small room somewhat surprised when neither man bothered to look up. Vin tended to always be acutely aware of his surroundings, especially when in an unfamiliar place. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Larabee eased into the seat beside the sniper, signaling to the bartender who had appeared from in the back, to bring him a beer. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ya’ found me,” Vin said without looking up. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris grinned. Leave it to Vin to have known he was there the whole time. Probably had heard the Ram’s engine when he’d pulled up and had been waiting on him before he’d even come inside. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you think I wouldn’t come lookin’ for you?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin shrugged. “Mighta’ been better if’n you hadn’t,” he answered. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris took a long drink of the beer, glad to find it was ice cold. He swallowed then exhaled a long breath. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Better for who exactly?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin glanced his way quickly and Chris caught a momentary glimpse of blue eyes that appeared sullen and spiritless. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How you want that list?” Tanner asked ruefully, turning back away. “Ya’ want me to go alphabetical or start oldest to youngest.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I wish you would’ve hung around and listened to the whole thing… you would’ve seen how it all worked out,” Chris explained. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah sure,” Vin snorted. “Hang around so I can hear your brother and sister toss a few more names my way? I mean, it’s no big deal, Chris, I’ve heard them all before. You name it… ass bandit, fudge licker, cock jockey, shit stabber, sperm gurgler, turd burgler… what are they gonna call me next?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris sighed. Despite his denial, Vin was hurt and Chris deserved every bit of the sarcasm and harsh language that his partner was dishing out at him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin drained the remainder of the bottle and tipped the empty towards the bartender who promptly brought him another. Chris doubted that Vin was drunk, but he was also sure that the young man was well on the way to numbing his pain. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is it going to help if I said I’m sorry for that… for the names? You shouldn’t have had to hear that and for what it’s worth, it wasn’t really aimed at you. They’re actually pissed off at me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin spun on his seat and the heated blue glare that flashed up from under the long mane of ash-blonde hair bordered on the closest thing to fury that Chris had witnessed in a very long time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Well, fuck! That just makes all this so much better doesn’t it? I mean, let’s just treat Vin like shit because we don’t want to make darlin’ baby-boy Christopher feel bad or nuthin’,” he spat out. “I told ya’ this was all a mistake from the get-go, Chris, but NO!... you wouldn’t hear of it… you just knew your kin was gonna be all sunshine and sweet iced tea with us showin’ up together for this getatogetha’...” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I did… they are…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“They ain’t!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Just give me a minute to explain…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What? Like last time?” Vin shouted. “Your explainin’ just means I end up with a cock shoved up my ass… nothin’ gets solved. You just get laid.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> Chris cringed as Tanner let loose with his pent-up anger. He deserved it, he knew he did, but the crudeness of Vin’s words still stung.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He watched numbly as Vin drained the latest bottle of beer in a single long swallow, then slammed the empty down on the counter before pulling out his wallet and laying a twenty on the counter. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Vin, hang on… please don’t go.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He roughly brushed past Chris’s attempt to grab his arm and was out the door of the bar even as Larabee continued to plead for him to wait. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Outside, the mid-afternoon sunshine was warm but bright in comparison to the dimly lit pub. Vin staggered slightly, one hand shading his eyes from the sunlight as he tried to figure out which way he was headed as he began walking. Chris was right behind him, keys in hand as he debated following or getting the truck. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Vin…” he called out. “Wait… please! At least get in the truck with me so you’re not walking around in the middle of nowhere.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know where I am…” Tanner kept on but called back stubbornly over his shoulder. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh yeah? Where?” Chris challenged. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The young agent paused a few feet down the road and looked around as though he was picking out landmarks. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m… uh… I’m in… uh... Indiana…” he replied. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris tried to hide the smirk but couldn’t manage the soft snicker that snuck out. Vin turned back to face the blond, his face still dark with anger.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up,” he grumbled, but quickly found himself grinning too. “Fuckin’ smartass… goddamn know-it-all mutherfuckin’...” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The young Texan continued to rant even as he started walking back toward the older man who waited for him with open arms. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You kiss your lover with that mouth?” Chris asked as he pulled Vin close. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t press your luck, Larabee… I’m still pissed off… and slightly wasted… and I ain’t kissin’ no part of you anytime in the near future so don’t get any ideas.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris smiled. He could live with that. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on… We need to talk… okay?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin nodded and followed him back to the truck. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The two men climbed in and Chris started the engine. Beside him, Vin sat in the passenger's seat staring ahead stoically, refusing to spare a look in his direction. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t think I c’n go back there yet,” he admitted softly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re not… not yet… till you’re ready… if and when you’re ready…” Chris promised. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin nodded slowly, still not making eye contact. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So what happened then,” he asked?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris let out a short burst of laughter but there wasn’t any real humor in the sound. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It got pretty ugly…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh? As in draggin’ Ezra into Walmart ugly or JD that time he caught that crotch itch from Casey’s scented feminine spray?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Think more like ugly as in that time that Buck got caught in the hotel room with the city councilman’s ex-wife who wasn’t his ex-quite yet.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin grimaced.  “Oooh yeah… damn...that whole thing went beyond ugly. I thought for sure ol’ Bucklin was gonna lose his shield over that one.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He probably would have if it hadn’t been for the fact that Councilman Kirkpatrick had been in the same hotel, two floors down with his nearly underage girlfriend. The impact of a scandal to his upcoming reelection campaign was far more concerning than any sort of revenge on an ATF agent.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So are any of your kin even still talkin’ to ya’ or are we headed back to Denver tonight?” Vin asked, casting a quick glance into the back seat. “I don’t see our bags. We still gotta go back and get our stuff?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris shook his head with a thin smile. “You’d like that wouldn’t ya’?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin shrugged, offering his partner an impish grin. “Can’t blame me for tryin’.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Larabee shifted uncomfortably in the leather seat of the truck. That the younger man’s blue eyes could appear so startlingly intense and yet intoxicatingly innocent at the same time never ceased to captivate and beguile him. If he believed for a moment that Vin had a disingenuous motive, Chris might’ve thought there was something devious behind the way his lover could seemingly use those same eyes to get anything he wanted out of him. But the fact of the matter was that Chris was simply lost every time he was captured by those twin pools of blue; so deep and enticing, he willingly and blissfully drowned in them. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>With Vin, one look would bring Larabee to his knees. The Texan could have him agreeing to take on some half-broke mare as easily as having him begging for release while he kept him just on the edge of sexual ecstasy. The only real clue Chris ever had was whether Vin’s blue were sparkling and bright, like the clear daytime sky over the mountains, or darker and shrouded, as though they were manifesting whatever internal storm was raging inside him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Right now they were somewhere in between, a cross between Vin begging to bring home another stray mutt and looking just a little too wounded and unsure.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Dammit...</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“If you really want to go,” Chris began. “I know it hasn’t been exactly the way I said it would…” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin sighed. “ That’s not what I want…” he said. And then went quiet, staring out at the passing scenery. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Up ahead Chris saw the turnoff that ran down past the river. Slowing down, he took the Ram off the main road and onto the worn dirt track. Despite the dust and rough handling, neither man spoke. A short distance passed and they came to where the road ran parallel to the river, even finding a spot where a small area had been cleared of brush and cattails. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Larabee pulled the big Dodge over and put it in park facing the slow-moving water. Before shutting off the engine. He drew in a deep breath and began.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“After you walked off, my sister Caroline really let me have it. She laid it all out there about how she felt and mostly it had nothing to do with you so much as she’s just been jealous of me all along. I guess I can’t blame her really… and I don’t think she was asking me to feel sorry for her, I think she knows she’s made her own bed in life. But I know that I’ve not really been there for her at any point. Hell, I never even tried to be.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris paused and snuck a look over at Vin. The younger man’s eyes were focused on the flowing water, but the blond knew his attention was every bit on the conversation by the way he was chewing on the side of his lip. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Anyway,” he continued. “I guess after all these years she was just fed up with feeling like I had this perfect life and she was this giant fuck-up. It’s not true… I tried to tell her that. Told her about how I was after Sarah and Adam died… what a giant prick I was to everyone around me… but all she could see was how I’d managed to come parading home with this perfect family in Sarah and Adam… lost them - and now here I was showing up again- all smiles and fucking acting like life was just perfect and so damn happy with you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“‘Cause you don’t deserve to be?” Vin asked defensively, his eyes narrowing.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t think that was it… like I said, she was jealous. Caroline hasn’t ever been in a relationship that’s lasted more than a couple of years. She’s been married and divorced three times, been with men that don’t deserve to be around another human being much less a woman with kids. Caroline’s problem is that she’s in love with the idea of being “in love,” she just can’t sustain it… or she’s just got really awful judgment - I don’t know.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So, she’s pissed off at you because you had it all and lost it and then had the God-given fortune to find love again? And she’s just mad ‘cause she can’t? Ain’t she ever heard of EHarmony or Match.com? Hell, why ain’t she mad at Annie or your brother then?” Vin complained. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris shrugged. “I told you before, it because I was the youngest, I got away with more shit growing up. I suppose that’s some of it. And like I said… I haven’t been around or stayed in touch like I should or could have… I know that and I’ve been trying harder. But after Sarah died… hell, I didn’t feel like pretending to be okay around people who seemed to have everything I didn’t.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“But they’s your family…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sometimes that’s even worse than being around total strangers…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin shook his head sadly. “I hope you never know how absolutely wrong you are about that, cowboy… I hope you never know what it’s like to be so alone in this world with no family to call on.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris swallowed hard. He’d not thought about it in that manner and he’d certainly hadn’t meant that he didn’t want or love his family. He’d only meant that having them near when he’d been going through the loss of his wife and son had been agonizing. Like so many others, they’d meant well, but they’d smothered him with their concern when all he’d wanted to do was burrow into the pain. Now he’d gone and hurt the one person in the world he’d never meant to wound with such a callous comment. The one person who knew first-hand what being alone truly felt like. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t mean it the way it sounded and I’d never want to lose my family. And I never want to lose you either… you’re my family now, Vin… I hope you understand that.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tanner smiled wanly. “Gonna have to pry me off like a tick on a hound.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris returned the smile and reached across the wide cab of the truck to caress the handsome face. Vin leaned into his touch. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Anyway, I guess the point is, once we got past all the old baggage, Caroline was okay,” he continued after a moment. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Still, why’d she say all those things to me? I gotta think she’s got some sort of problem with me or gays in general?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Actually, you were kinda right all along.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin looked at him quizzically and Chris frowned slightly before going on. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, well, she was mostly pissed because I didn’t bother to tell them about us before we came… just showed up with you and didn’t bother to say anything to her while she was planning the whole shindig.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I knew it! I told you!” Tanner erupted, slapping one hand against the dashboard. “Didn’t I tell you? How many times did I say - Chris, you oughta tell your sisters we’re coming… tell ya’ folks… but Noooo… Can’t tell Chris Larabee nuthin’... damned know-it-all…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, alright… I admit it… you were right, I was wrong.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh? What was that again?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t be gettin’ cocky… I can admit when I made a mistake… and I made one on this. But even my mom admitted that I shouldn’t have had to inform anyone about you and me. At the end of the day, who I love isn’t anyone’s business. So long as I’m happy, she said that’s all that matters.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin was smiling smugly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And I’m so very happy… you know that right?” Chris added. “But I need to know that you’re happy too.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> Tanner’s expression faded. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You need to ask that?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sometimes… times like this...yeah, I feel like I need to,” the older man went on. “When I see you get hurt and I can’t do anything to stop it… especially when it happened because of a situation I put you in…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You think I’d leave you because of what happened here this weekend? ‘Cause your family treated me bad? Hell, Chris, we’ve been through worse… and yeah, I’d never want to make ya’ have to choose between your kin and me… but I’m not givin’ ya’ up without a fight either. You’re the best thing I’ve </span>
  <em>
    <span>ever</span>
  </em>
  <span> had in my life… not a day goes by that I ain’t thankin’ the good Lord above for wakin’ up and just being able to see ya’ smile at me, or hold me like I’m something special, or even just to sit next to ya’ and feel ya’ warmth and heart beatin’ in time with mine like there’s nobody in the world but us… I could lose everything else and have all that and I’d be the richest man on the planet and so happy you’d never get the damn smile off my face.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris paled. Vin’s sincerity nearly stole his breath away. He stared at the Texan in a loss for words. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Jesus, Vin… what could  I possibly do or say to follow that?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You could kiss me…” Vin suggested, leaning across the center console. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Larabee turned further in the driver’s seat so that his body was facing his lover’s. Reaching over, he wrapped Vin’s face between his hands and drew the younger man to him. The initial touch was gentle, their lips pressing almost chastely together. But it wasn’t enough for either man and before he knew it, Chris felt Tanner’s hands reaching around to weave into his short, golden strands. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The kiss turned passionate, bordering on aggressive, as Vin’s tongue plunged inside Chris’s mouth. The taste of beer was only brief and lost quickly as their tongues dueled to find every secret place. They remained connected for several long minutes, mouths searching even as their fingers tugged ferociously in each other’s hair.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Pulling away, Vin sucked in a deep breath, nearly lightheaded from the lack of oxygen, but his reprieve was short-lived as Chris exploited the opportunity and dipped down to resume his attention on Tanner’s exposed throat. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin moaned as Chris’s mouth began just beneath the sniper’s jaw, small pecks that quickly turned into longer, more intense nibbling and sucking as Larabee worked his way down the warm, sinuous neck.  Reaching the small notch where the base of Vin’s throat connected with his collar bone, Chris paused, first licking the little divot, before drifting over slightly and pulling the skin up between his teeth and sucking gently. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Beneath him, Vin was beginning to squirm in the seat. The younger man’s hands were moving everywhere and Chris could feel Tanner touching and releasing his arms, shoulders, and hair as he sought to find an anchor for his rising passion. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris could feel his own erection begin to press tightly in his jeans, his awkward position in the driver’s seat doing little to allow him to find the slightest position of relief. But he was focused on Vin, determined to make sure that his lover was totally on the receiving end of pleasure right now. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>No stranger to having sex in the Ram, Chris knew what his options were when it came to two six-foot-tall men sharing their bodies in a relatively small space. He cast a quick look into the empty back seat. There’d be more room to spread out back there, the chance for him to really give Vin the attention he deserved. But moving from the front to the back required interruption and resetting, and Chris didn’t think that either of them were in the mood to hit the pause button. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The upside was that he could easily reach the controls that adjusted the driver’s seat. The downside was that the center console in the big truck couldn’t be moved, but that had never stopped them before. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>With a stretch of his left arm, Chris pressed the button and his seat moved backward, extending the space between the seat and the steering wheel. Once that was completed, he was able to turn sideways, his body completely facing his lover. Leaning in, he pulled Vin towards him, his mouth back at the brunette’s lips before working back along his jaw and ending up at the shell of Tanner’s ear. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He nuzzled there for a few moments, teeth gently nipping while his tongue darted inside all the while relishing the way the tiny shivers flittered over Vin’s exposed skin or the way the younger man let out the softest of moans. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Reach down and put your seat back,” Chris ordered tenderly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There was a moment where his partner fumbled, his usually agile and extremely dexterous sniper seemed suddenly clumsy and ungainly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin recovered after a moment and with a frustrated grunt managed to find the control on the side of the seat and slowly lowered it back. The small motors had barely ceased their quiet whine when Chris flung himself across the open space and covered the slightly smaller man. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He pressed his mouth against Vin’s, silencing the gasp of surprise or pleasure his sudden move had elicited from his partner. The Texan willingly surrendered, his lean body relaxing between Larabee and the supple leather of the Ram. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Without letting up on his mouth, Chris’s fingers roamed down Vin’s chest and abdomen, slowing only when he came to the hard bulge just below the waistband of his jeans. He let his hand rest against the sniper’s groin smiling to himself even as he felt Vin lift his hips to force more pressure on his erection.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Easy… I got you…” Chris said soothingly, using his upper body to quiet the squirming man. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin stilled slightly, but reached down to cover Chris’s hand with his own. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A little needy are ya?” Larabee teased. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tanner’s blue eyes flashed open and he took a shuddering breath. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Someone promised me a hardwood tour,” he complained. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris paused from where his mouth had been working at the flesh at the base of Vin’s neck. His left hand was now ever so slowly moving up and down along the crotch of Tanner’s Levi’s while the fingers of his right hand worked their way underneath his untucked t-shirt. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Have I ever told you about the history of Bedford?” the blond asked. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A tousled head of loose hair shook back and forth in reply. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>With his hands still set on their mission, Chris continued, his eyes focused on watching his partner’s reactions. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Interesting history actually. See way back in the day, the main reason folks settled the area was ‘cause of the White River. But back then, they didn’t know that a slow movin’, shallow river wasn’t always such a good thing. Apparently, the mosquitoes round the river were the size of crows and could suck the blood out of a milk cow… or at least to hear the stories. But truth told- folks all came down with malaria…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin’s breathing was increasing and the denim between his legs held no room to spare. His fidgeting was beginning to border on frantic as his hand moved to release the button at the top of his jeans. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Malaria… yeah… so…” the younger man mumbled out, barely keeping up with Chris’s story. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris helped unfasten the pants, grinning even as he heard the soft release of air when Vin sighed in relief. The sniper immediately reached for the zipper, his eyes still closed, his attention zeroed in on the alarming need in his groin. This time Chris’s fingers brushed his aside and yanked down the pull, allowing the fabric to spread apart even as Vin flexed his hips and opened his legs.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So the mosquitoes…” Chris continued before pushing up the shirt and dipping down to lay a long swipe of his tongue up the center of Vin’s abdomen. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mosquitoes… yeah… what about them…” Vin repeated, throwing his head back so that his neck was extended; the veins exposed and throbbing in time with his breathing and pulse. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah… to this day…damn things are so big ... can still suck like you wouldn’t believe… Some folks think that if you get bit by one… might turn a person into some sort of big sucker too…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Blue eyes popped open amid a face filled with a mischievous smile. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Y’all ever been bit by one a’ those big suckin’ bastards?” Vin asked, trying to look serious. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Chris’s green gaze leered back at his lover from beneath the tangle of blond hair that hung over his brow. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m feelin’ awful thirsty…” he answered suggestively. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Before Vin could offer a reply, Chris turned his body slightly and buried his mouth over the Texan’s brief-covered penis. Tanner sucked in a deep breath even as his hands grabbed at the sides of the seat to steady his body. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh fuck!” he cried out. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>With the material still separating full contact, Chris continued to massage the organ with his lips, working around the shaft before moving up and down. Vin’s boxers dampened from where the top of his cock was already leaking in anticipation and Chris’s own saliva added to the wetness of the cotton. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Chris… please.... suck me…” Vin pleaded after a few moments of the older man’s ministrations. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Larabee lifted his lips away and glanced back up Tanner’s body. “That’s my plan,” he promised, quickly returning back to the bulging member. Prompting Vin to hike up his hips, Chris quickly pushed the clothing down his legs and exposed the younger man’s cock to the cool air that was blowing in through the open windows. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He licked his lips as he gazed upon the thickened shaft, the head almost red-purple and glistening as it beckoned to Chris’s mouth. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Chris…” Vin moaned again, his hand reaching for the back of Larabee’s neck. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The blond smiled. Sometimes there were just no words to begin describing how much he loved this man. Arching upward, he planted a quick but affirming kiss to his lover’s mouth before turning back to his main focus. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Brushing his left hand up the inside of Vin’s thigh, he gently grasped the underside of the tightly drawn balls letting the solid warmth fill his hand. Taking a breath, Chris swooped down and engulfed the entire shaft in one move, stopping only when the head of Vin’s cock nudged the back of his throat. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris held it like that for a long moment, not moving or even breathing. Beneath him, Vin went rigid as well, except for the strong - nearly audible - pounding of his heartbeat. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh god… oh god… please… Chris… please…” Vin cried out after a moment. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Grinning to himself, Chris began a slow movement with his mouth. Up and down, his lips and tongue worked as though they were separate organs. He dipped his tongue into the slit at the top of Vin’s cock on each upswing of his mouth, while on the downstroke, his lips would wrap around his teeth, creating even more friction against the shaft. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Slowly, then faster, Chris worked Vin’s cock like it was a musical instrument and he was playing a concerto. Vin accompanied him by singing out, adding in moans and pleas as his body strained for release. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Close… so close… oh god… Chris… I’m gonna’ come…” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Larabee retreated just a little. While his intention wasn’t to torture his partner, he also wanted to be sure that Vin rode the heights of pleasure. Vin felt the edge of his orgasm diminish as Chris backed off and he reached for his lover, determined to encourage him to finish. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No… nononono… so close…” he begged. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I got you…” Chris assured him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Shifting his left hand, he lifted the fingers up to his mouth and wet them. He quickly pressed them back behind the Texan’s balls and found the small pucker of Vin’s sphincter. Nudging gently, he inched one inside even as he plunged his mouth back onto Vin’s cock. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin writhed upward, thrusting into Chris’s mouth before posting back onto the finger that was exploring further into his ass. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ohmyfuckinggodyessss…” he moaned. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris added a second finger, slowly pushing in next to his index as he began a corkscrew-type motion that had Vin instantly reacting. He could feel the tension building in Vin’s testicles and the telling twitch that signaled his lover’s nearing orgasm. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin’s breath was coming in short gasps and his head was thrown back against the tan leather of the seat, loose hair splayed wildly as he tossed from side to side. His eyes were half-closed, but the blue of his irises were nearly engulfed by pupils blow wide from the pending climax.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Chris… Chris… oh yeah… yes… yeeeeesssss....”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Larabee felt Vin’s body go completely rigid, muscles tensing simultaneously as he came with one final thrust upward. Chris kept his mouth wrapped around Vin’s shaft, still working the organ with his tongue as he milked away the salty traces of semen that continued to spurt with every twitch of the thick cock. His fingers remained inside Vin’s ass, rubbing against the sensitive nub of his lover’s prostate and further spurring on his orgasm. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh...oh…. yeah… Chris… oh fuck… that’s it… ohgod…” Vin cried out and pressed his groin tighter into Larabee’s face once more before finally dropping back to the seat with an exhausted sigh. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris licked a swath around Vin’s penis one final time feeling the spent organ begin to shrink slightly even as it gave a valiant jerk against his lips. His fingers remained inside a few minutes longer, fluttering gently before retracting to Vin’s disappointed groan. Chris grinned as he pulled away, slowly working soft kisses along a path of Vin’s groin and up his belly to his still heaving chest. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin reached to pull his head higher and Chris obliged, drifting upward to meet the younger man’s beckoning lips. He hungrily devoured Vin’s mouth and Vin returned the kiss with equal passion. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They parted after a moment, Chris hovering just above Vin but gazing lovingly down at the sated face of the Texan. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Good?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuckin’ phenomenal!” Vin exclaimed, blinking slowly and looking as loose and relaxed as Chris had seen him in a while. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris chuckled. “That might be a little much,” he replied. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vin met his eyes. “Never! God, how I love ya’!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Love ya’ back.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Gonna show ya’ how much… soon as I catch my breath… gonna’ curl them toes a’ yours the way you just done mine…” Vin promised. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris shook his head and dipped in for a quick kiss before shifting back over into the driver’s seat. Vin looked back at him, his face filled with concern. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“But… what… why…” he stammered as he sat up and began to hastily redress. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Larabee smiled warmly and reached over to place a calming hand on the back of Vin’s neck.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey… hey… look at me,” he gently commanded. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin turned but the previous look of sexual bliss had now been replaced with apprehension and doubt. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey… relax… I’m okay. This was for you… to make you feel good… I wanted to be able to give some attention just to you…” Chris tried to explain. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I did… but… but you… you didn’t…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris shook his head again and drew Vin across the open space and kissed his fear and protests away. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We don’t keep score. Right? And I </span>
  <em>
    <span>needed</span>
  </em>
  <span> to do this for you… as much as you enjoyed it, I needed to do it for you… to see you just let loose and let go and let me love you like that. Do you understand?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin slowly calmed beneath his grasp. The easy-going smile returned to his face and he nodded. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know how ya’ feel, Chris,” he answered. “I guess I been there myself with ya’ a time or two… jus’ wantin’ to be able to make ya’ feel good and show ya’ how much I love ya’... guess it’s just harder bein’ on the receivin’ end.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris pulled him tight and kissed him once again, Vin leaning into the embrace. “How ‘bout we take an extra day on the way home and find a nice hotel. We can take turns with the whole giving and receiving thing?” Chris offered with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin responded with a wide-eyed look of excitement. “Ya’ think we can get okay’d for the extra time off?” he asked. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Pretty sure I can get that asshole of a boss of yours to see his way clear to approve the extra day,” Chris joked. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin’s brief laugh filled the cab of the Ram and warmed Chris. He glanced at his watch and sighed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“About the rest of the weekend. There’s a decent Holiday Inn in town. We could get a room and stay the night there instead of at the house,” he suggested. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tanner didn’t hesitate. “Why? Is that what you want to do?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“ I want whatever makes you more comfortable,” Chris insisted. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s your family though. You should be with them. And besides, I thought you said everything was kinda worked out?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris sighed again and rubbed absently at the back of his neck. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“With Caroline and my mom, yeah… I think they’re all okay with us. My mom basically said she wants me to be happy and she felt like she saw that you and me together were, so… she was good with that. I’m not sure what her issue was before… just being overprotective of her baby boy I guess?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin nodded his understanding. “Guess that makes sense. Probably wasn’t much different with Sarah at first was she?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris snorted. “Nope… now that you mention it, those two were oil and water for the first year until Sarah finally asked my mom to teach her how to make her homemade biscuits. That seemed to break the ice and they were best friends after.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hell, ya’ mean I coulda just swapped some recipes with your ma’ and we coulda just skipped alla’ the mean looks and spiteful words?” Vin joked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris laughed. “Yeah, maybe so.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The two men grew silent again as Larabee stared out the windshield toward the flowing river. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So, if not your mom or your sister, then why are ya’ trying to hide us?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The frown was impossible to mask when Chris turned back to face his partner. “Because of Jimmy,” he answered regretfully. “I don’t know what his problem is, but he definitely has an issue with gays.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You talk to him too?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I tried, but there was no getting through to him. The strangest thing is that Jimmy was always the most tolerant and liberal one of us. Growin’ up, he was the one always joining the latest cause or protest. I just would have never imagined him being so bigoted or mean-spirited, especially outright against someone that was family,” Chris explained. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe something hits a little too close to home for him?” Vin posed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You think?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin shrugged. “I don’t know none of your family, Chris. But what I do know is that most of the hate I’ve experienced comes down to a couple of things; fear or stupidity. Now stupidity is the easy one, ‘cause if you can educate a person, and they're open-minded, then you can usually get ‘em to understand that being gay ain’t a disease and you ain’t gonna catch it or get AIDs from being around a gay person or none of that. But fear… that’s a different story. Fear makes people think that they’ll lose a job, or lose friends, or get kicked out of church if someone finds out that their son or daughter comes out. That as a parent, they’re a failure or that their kid is defective.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin paused and idly picked at the tear in the leg of his jeans. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I s’pose I understand the fear part myself. Been living it most of my life too but in a different way. Always afraid that being gay would cost me everything… your love, my happiness, everything. Kinda felt like that was what might happen with your family. That if they hated me, or the idea of us being together, you’d realize what you were giving up being with me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris flashed a panicked look at Vin. “I told you that you were my family now. My life. It will never come down to picking them - or anyone - over you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin smiled wanly and nodded. “I know… but that’s fear for ya’. You understand? Makes you think- and maybe like Jimmy - say things you wouldn’t normally. And hell, Chris, if you think that that the idea of you being bi instead of full-on gay like me doesn’t run through my head sometimes… that I don’t think about the fact that you swing for both teams… well, let’s just say that there’s enough material there to keep J’siah busy for the next 10 years.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Larabee considered Vin’s words. “You’ve got a point about Jimmy. I don’t know what might be going on at home, but Annie did mention something kinda interesting about Ryan watching PornHub.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well that don’t make him gay,” Tanner burst out laughing. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris smirked in annoyance. “I know that, smartass. I’m just saying that maybe what he said he was watching and what he was really watching were two different things?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin shrugged. “He wouldn’t be the first kid to hide it from his folks. But honestly, Chris, whether or not the kid is in the closet isn’t going to make a difference with how your brother feels about me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, it’s not. So the question is, how do you want to handle it for the rest of the weekend?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s only one thing to do and that’s to just stay out of his way and not give him any reason to target me,” Vin offered. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris shook his head. “I dunno, Vin. That’s asking an awful lot of you. I’m not sure that’s very fair.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“It’s not even 36 more hours. Relax, Chris. It’s not like I’m signing on for a full tour over in the sandpit again.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Might not be much different…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’ll be fine. I’ve managed worse. And besides, you’ll be right there beside me. This is for your folks and I’m sure your brother will remember that and once things are going, the attention will be on that like it should be. Hell, he won’t even know I’m there.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re amazing. Do you know that?” Chris said lovingly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, well, it’s the least I can do for the man that just blew my brains outs…” Vin answered. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Can’t say I didn’t warn ya’ about that whole ‘suckin’ thing…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin snickered. “You just wait till the ride home. I ever tell you ‘bout the mosquitos in Texas?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Grow ‘em big do they?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Like everything else…” Vin assured Chris confidently.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sounds like I’ll be lookin’ forward to learning more about that then. But for now, I guess we should probably make an appearance back home and at least appease my sisters by offering to help with whatever is left of the set-up,” Chris suggested, turning the key to start the truck. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin nodded in agreement as he worked to adjust his clothes. He flipped down the visor and glanced in the mirror checking to see if Chris had left behind any obvious signs of their lovemaking. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You think your mom will know what we been up to?” he asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I dunno… I doubt it and even if she did, she won’t say anything. Hell, you saw how flustered she was when she thought she’d walked in on us this morning,” he reassured as he backed the Ram away from the river and turned onto the dirt road.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good. I just can’t look that woman in the face and not feel like she’s lookin’ right through me. She’s as bad as Nettie.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris chuckled. “Well good. Now, my sister Annie… she’ll smell sex on you from a mile away and will probably hound you like Buck chasing a nurse until you give her all the details about us…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tanner groaned even as Chris’s laughter filled the truck at his look of utter dismay. </span>
</p>
<p><br/><br/>***tbc***</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. RECONCILIATION</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Things get worse before they get better... for Vin - and for Chris. </p><p> </p><p>Much thanks to everyone who continues to read, comment, leave Kudos. You can't imagine what that means to me.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h3>
  <em>
    <span>Reconciliation</span>
  </em>
</h3><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The following morning began with Mother Nature, not on the side of the Larabee family. The sun remained stubbornly behind the clouds and the weatherman warned of afternoon storms accompanied by high winds. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Determined not to let it put a hitch in their celebration, Caroline and Anne convinced their parents to go ahead with having the renewal ceremony as planned beneath the beautiful pergola that James Sr. had built just for the occasion. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The sisters, along with some of the grandchildren, had decorated the little pavilion along with the tents the guys had put up the day before with flowers and lengths of silver and purple ribbons that were now swaying the breeze. Chris, Vin, and Thomas had set up dozens of chairs underneath the cover of the tents but the decision was made to keep all the food inside the house just to be safe. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With guests arriving just before the noon hour, Vin and Chris snuck off up to the bedroom to change. So far, the morning had been busy with everyone working to put the final preparations in place and there had been no further issues between Vin and any of Chris’s family, especially James Jr.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Secreted away in the relative privacy of Chris’s old bedroom, the couple dropped back onto the small bed for a moment's peace before having to return back downstairs to begin the celebration. As they lay side by side, the noise in the house filtered into the quietness of the room causing Vin to smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s that all about?” Chris asked, seeing the happy expression on his lover’s face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just thinkin’,” Vin answered. “Fifty years… that’s just sooo… special.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris nodded, slightly perplexed in where Vin was going with his line of thought. He was about to press the younger man further when Vin rolled to his side facing him and continued. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m just saying… it’s not like we’ll probably get fifty in… do ya’ think? I mean… most people don’t… and with our jobs… but if we could… I mean… I sure would like to think we could… but can you just picture us in fifty years?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whoa there, JD… you wanna slow that down just a bit?” Chris teased. “What are you ramblin’ on about?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin frowned and turned back over, staring up at the ceiling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“I was just thinking that your folks are damn lucky to be able to get fifty years with someone they love,” he said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I s’pose so…” Chris agreed. “Five or fifty… I guess they’re all pretty special and you don’t take any of them for granted.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin glanced over catching the pensive look that filled Chris. “Yeah, I guess you’re right about that. Quality over quantity. But if you already have the quality… then going for the quantity is pretty damn good.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m all about the quality </span>
  <b>
    <em>AND</em>
  </b>
  <span> the quantity,” Chris growled, rolling over and throwing his arm around Vin’s slim waist and digging his fingers in just below the ribs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tanner squirmed and let out a barely contained yelp as he tried to wiggle away from the blond’s grasp. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“‘Cause… your… a greedy… bastard…” he shot back breathlessly, nearly falling off the edge of the bed as he continued to twist and writhe beneath Chris’s ongoing attack. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Larabee laughed, following after his retreating lover. “When it comes to you, I am,” he admitted. “Hopelessly, shamelessly, totally…” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin finally ran out of mattress and landed on the hardwood floor with a loud thump even as Chris stretched to catch him and prevent his fall. He sat there for a moment glaring back at his partner, while Chris continued to chuckle. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not funny,” he groused, rubbing at a spot on his hip. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris stretched his long frame across the bed and held out a hand to his lover. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come back up here and I’ll kiss it and make it all better,” he offered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin snorted and slapped the proffered hand away, slowly climbing back to the side of the bed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do that and we’ll be late for the ceremony,” Vin warned, tapping his watch. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Larabee shrugged. “Some things are just worth it.” Pushing up, he pressed a kiss to Vin’s lips. The Texan feigned irritation but quickly gave in, leaning down just slightly to pull Chris in closer. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two were tightly locked in their embrace when a soft tap sounded at the bedroom door. They rapidly disentangled. Chris, shifting quickly to the opposite side of the bed even as he called out to whoever was on the other side. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah… come in.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The door opened slowly and Lillian entered. She made a quick glance at the two men seated on the bed, quickly looking away, her face coloring slightly as though she’d caught them in the middle of something. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh… uhm… sorry…” She stammered, turning so that her back was to the couple. “I didn’t mean to… uhm… err… interrupt.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris chuckled and rose off the bed, stepping over to his mother’s side. Vin haphazardly fussed with his clothes and tried to smooth out the rumpled quilt, his face turning a light shade of red. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You weren’t interrupting anything, mom. We were just screwing around… I mean… just goofing off… it wasn’t what you think…” Chris fumbled, laughing outright as he watched both his lover and his mother become increasingly more uncomfortable. “Hell, it would’ve been easier if you’d've just walked in on us having sex than trying to explain that we weren’t”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Christopher!” Lillian exclaimed, spinning around to face her youngest. “Oh, what the hell… it’s not like I haven’t walked in on your brother or sister plenty of times over the years…” she admitted with a wry smile. “I’m sorry, Vin.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ma’am?” the young Texan looked up quizzically. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s something I need to say to you,” Lillian continued, moving closer toward the bed and where Vin remained frozen in place. “I tried to explain to Christopher yesterday, but I’m afraid I didn’t do a very good job of it. And I wanted to speak to you both, today… before the ceremony. Things need to be said and I just cannot let this go any longer.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are you talking about, mom,” Chris asked worriedly. He’d thought that his mother had come to terms with his and Vin’s relationship. The timing of her deciding to say anything to Vin now was horrible and he just hoped that she wouldn’t choose to be overly cruel with her words or force him to make a hasty decision right before the ceremony. He could already see the apprehension in Tanner’s face and body language; Vin was fearing the worst. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay,” the older woman advised, waving Chris back with her hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wasn’t very fair to you before,” she went on, slowly walking toward the bed. “I told Christopher it was because I was trying to protect him and I suppose there was a little bit of truth to that. But really, I guess it was more because I just couldn’t wrap this old brain around the idea that my son could be with a man.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Vin nodded in acceptance. He’d known this was coming. Chris’s parents were older, old-fashioned in their beliefs. Besides, Chris had been married to a beautiful woman and they’d had a son. How much more traditional could it have gotten. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The thing is, I’ve always wanted my children to be happy. And I saw that he was, every single moment I saw you two together when we were out there in Denver at the ranch. If I was skeptical to start with, I surely wasn’t by the time I left. The way that you two care about each other and care for each other… there’s no denying that. If I’m being honest, coming here this weekend, and putting up with the - pardon my language - </span>
  <em>
    <span>bullshit</span>
  </em>
  <span> - that you’ve had to deal with… no one would put up with that for anything short of absolute love.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin looked up, his face finally offering a broad smile that reached his eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, ma’am,” he acknowledged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I guess what I’m saying… not so well… is that I’m sorry for any offense and I’m happy to have you be a part of my son’s life.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lillian Larabee closed the remaining gap between herself and Vin. Standing before him, her diminutive frame was no taller than his even as Tanner remained seated. She gazed at him and smiled warmly, holding out her hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin took them in his and she squeezed them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I love him with all my heart and soul,” Vin promised. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know you do, son,” Lillian replied, even as blue eyes finally looked up to meet hers. “Because I know how much my son loves you.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Across the room, Chris felt his throat tighten just slightly at the scene between his mother and his lover. If nothing else happened this weekend, he hoped this affirmed Vin’s confidence that he was accepted into Chris’s family. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lillian nodded once more and turned back to look at her son. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’d better get down there or James might decide he can be rid of me and finally take off with that hag Pauline Wellsley… although maybe after fifty years, I might decide to trade him in for someone else myself,” she joked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, right, mom,” Chris played along. “Like either one of you would know what to do without each other.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lillian laughed. Walking over to her youngest, she stood up on her tiptoes and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. “Isn’t that true?” she agreed. “But that’s the best part about a forever kind of love… you just can’t imagine being with anyone else? Am I right?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris beamed and flashed a loving look over toward Vin who was also smiling back. </span>
  <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It makes life worth living,” the blond agreed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Larabee matriarch drifted to the door, pausing as she opened it was about to exit. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now you two better shake a leg and get changed. I expect a couple of handsome men such as yourselves to be presentable for the family pictures after the ceremony,” she admonished teasingly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, ma’am,” the two replied, smiling broadly as the door closed behind the older woman. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The room fell into silence with both Vin and Chris staring at the door. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, whaddya know?” Chris said after a moment, turning to look at Vin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The younger man was already up off the bed and rummaging through the clothes in his duffle. When he didn’t answer after a bit, Chris moved across the room to get his attention. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, what’s up. Is everything okay?” the blond asked, tugging gently on Vin’s arm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah… it’s all good… awesome! Let’s go…” Tanner replied, his focus back on selecting clothing. </span>
  <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure?” Chris pressed, not quite understanding his partner’s frantic behavior. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Chris… c’mon… get dressed… and pick out something decent… ya’ heard your ma’... we don’t want to embarrass her…” he warned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Larabee chuckled and reached for his own bag. “So that’s how it is? Mom likes you and now I’m gonna have to deal with you and her… I can see it all now… you two… thick as thieves... It’ll be what’s Vin’s favorite cookies… and here Vin, I made your favorite dinner… and Oh Vin… are you taking care of yourself…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a soft “umpf” of air as a pillow came flying and smacked Chris in the back of the head. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Don’t be talkin’ bad ‘bout your ma’ now…” Tanner warned. “That’s yer’ ma’, you show some respect.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris sighed. “Oh dear lord…” he groaned, but inwardly was ecstatic that Vin had connected and was accepted by his mother. The day was looking up. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*M7*</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The vow renewal ceremony was a beautiful event, even if the weather had been less than cooperative. The guests arrived, and with the men’s help were all seated underneath the previously assembled tents to help protect them from the threatening elements. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Since the Larabee's had been life-long residents of Bedford, the invitation list and turnout to the ceremony was rather large, even with so many of their friends being older and unable to attend due to the threat of inclement weather or personal infirmities. Not to be deterred, the family did their best to try to accommodate everyone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With Lillian and James Sr. positioned at the pergola along with Caroline and James Jr. as their attendants, the pastor from the local Lutheran church spoke briefly about the sanctity of marriage and how the Larabee’s embodied that institution. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The pastor paused in his oration and both Lillian and James Sr. spoke to the crowd. They briefly shared their personal vows, encompassing short stories about how they met and how their love had grown through the years despite hardship and illness. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their story wasn’t terribly uncommon, many before them had gone through similar experiences, yet it was private and being shared with their family and friends, many of whom had never really heard some of the personal details. For Chris, it shed a slightly different light on the people he knew as his mother and father. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>James Sr. had always seemed so closed and distant, not really being a man who easily shared his feelings or emotions and yet here he was, retelling the story about how he had purposely spilled a milkshake on </span>
  <em>
    <span>“the prettiest blonde-haired gal in the entire school’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> skirt just so’s he’d have an excuse to talk to her…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris could have never imagined his father being so awkward to have been afraid to approach his mom. Nor could he picture his mom, who spoke about how she turned down his father’s proposal for marriage </span>
  <b>
    <em>three</em>
  </b>
  <span> times because she couldn’t decide between him and Gary Johnson whose parents owned the local grocery store at the time. He briefly tried to envision how different his life might have been if he had grown up the son of a businessman instead of his more “hands-on” father. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oddly enough, he vaguely remembered some of the Johnson kids as classmates in school. And while he and his siblings had never exactly been angels, by comparison, the Johnson kids were notoriously at the top of the list when it came to suspects for anything bad that happened around their small town. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris smirked at the memory, picturing himself on the other side of law enforcement had his mother chosen differently so many years ago. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s that grin for?” Vin leaned over and whispered into his ear. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothin’. Just picturing myself in an orange jumpsuit,” Larabee answered, enjoying the odd look that crossed the Texan’s face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ceremony was completed with Lillian and James presenting each other with simple yet tasteful anniversary bands and reaffirming their marriage vows. The pastor pronounced them husband and wife - still - and the family and friends that were gathered all cheered as James Sr. planted a fairly long kiss on his reconfirmed bride. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris shot a look over to Vin. The young agent was smiling warmly as he watched the conclusion of the service. For a moment, Chris felt a wave of wistfulness fill him. He knew that they could legally get married if they wanted to. Vin had never mentioned it, never seemed bothered by them not officially taking that step. He often wondered if having that piece of paper would ease Tanner’s fears if it would make him realize that Chris was dedicated for the long haul? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Vin had never been one to stand on formalities. Chris doubted that a ceremony or a marriage certificate would or ever could reinforce or replace the Texan’s ability to love with all his heart and soul. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, maybe he needed to ask Vin what he wanted. Maybe it was time that he stopped assuming that things were fine with the status quo. Sure, they had already fixed their wills and Larabee had already changed the deed to the ranch to reflect ownership to include Vin, but otherwise, they’d kept their relationship rather low-key outside of the few close friends and the team. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Of course, there’d be ramifications within the agency. Making it legal would make it </span>
  <em>
    <span>OFFICIAL</span>
  </em>
  <span>… and that brought a whole new wrinkle to things. While there were folks that knew about them at the agency, it was mostly “Don’t ask- don’t tell.” If they made it official, then the choice for them to stay within the same unit would be revoked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris snorted at the thought. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Could he live with the idea that Vin was working for some other team leader? It made him crazy enough any time the sniper was loaned out to work an op for another unit or agency. How in the world would he manage with the long-haired, Texan never being under his watchful eye?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now what’s that look for?” Vin asked as everyone began to mill about.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris blinked, realizing he had let his thoughts drift. He looked seriously at Vin. “You ever want this?” he asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tanner’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “Want what?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“This... “Chris reiterated, gesturing with his hands to the people and ceremony that had just concluded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin made a quick glance and turned back looking puzzled. “An outdoor party right before a summer storm in the middle of Indiana… uhh… for what exactly?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Larabee groaned and dipped his head.  “No! God you can make my hair hurt sometimes… This… the ceremony… the wedding stuff… the rings… us… being official… Do </span>
  <em>
    <span>YOU</span>
  </em>
  <span> want this? For us…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin looked around once again before turning back to his lover and Chris couldn't miss the way his eyes seemed so clearly blue that they sparkled like the sunlight reflecting off lake water. Tanner smiled warmly and then slowly shook his head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t need any of this,” he answered. “I mean, it’s all nice and I s’pose it’d be kinda cool to share it with our friends… maybe your family - if’n they wanted… but Chris, what we have, you and I, it’s not about some ceremony or piece of paper… never has been. Ain’t no piece of paper or no words some preacher’s gonna say is gonna keep us together or put us apart if that ever happens…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris stared at those blue eyes for several long minutes. He was speechless. It wasn’t the first time that Vin’s words captured his heart; Vin had a way of saying things that was simple yet perfect. He was constantly amazed at how this man could love so fully after being hurt and used so early in life. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re just incredible… you know that?” Larabee said softly. “But I’m telling you here and now… whatever you want, I want to give it to you. I don’t care what it is… how big or small… how much you think it’s either too insignificant or too much trouble… because for you, there’s nothing that I want you to feel like you can’t have.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin beamed. “I got everythin’ I want…” he replied earnestly, then paused, looking about. “... except for some of that cake they been holding back till after the ceremony… you seen that thing? Heard ya’ sister say its marble inside with buttercream and raspberry…mmmmm….”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris rolled his eyes and laughed. Some things never changed with his lover. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey… there you two are. Mom wants us for pictures before the weather turns...c’mon,” Annie called out, reaching to grab each man’s arm and tugging them toward where the photographer was set up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The threesome made their way to where the rest of the family was assembling even as the wind was beginning to pick up. The photographer decided to make use of the pergola once more since there was still some decent lighting to be had and it was easier to position the family members around the structure. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He began just by taking snapshots of Lillian and James Sr, then added in Caroline and James Jr. as their attendants. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One by one, they combined each sibling’s family, beginning with James Jr.’s wife and two kids. Caroline was next, although it took her extra time to round up her five children that seemed determined to either play on the nearby treehouse or simply avoid participating in the family portrait. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Anne, Thomas, and their children more easily acquiesced, already waiting to the side, although Anne’s youngest daughter was reluctant to let go of her favorite toy - a rather overly large, stuffed bunny that she carried around by one floppy ear. In the end, the bunny made the picture. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then it was time for Chris and Vin to join the group. The photographer called them up to be positioned with the others only to the disgruntled commentary from James Jr. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seriously… I thought this was for family,” the eldest Larabee son called out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris ignored the remark and continued to his spot, his eye not missing the slight twitch from Vin beside him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Initially, the family members were placed in groups, each surrounding the elder Larabees with the smaller grandchildren towards the front. The photographer snapped several pictures then went about repositioning everyone in order to get different images and groupings.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At one point, he had all the men step away and took several shots of all the ladies together, even including the younger granddaughters. Then, with James Sr. at the center, he brought back all the men and asked them to stand together around the elder Larabee. Vin purposefully hung back, until Chris pulled him along. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He doesn’t belong here,” James Jr. growled under his breath. “Why do you have to keep forcing him in on everything?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris tried to ignore his older brother, his hand remaining gently supportive in the small of Vin’s back. He could feel the tension in the slighter man’s muscles, knew Tanner was uncomfortable being the center of attention or the cause of any conflict. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just not going to be happy unless you get your gay boyfriend on display? What? Has he got you all wrapped up into that PRIDE stuff too?” James Jr. hissed as he leaned in toward Chris. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Stop, Jimmy…” Chris warned, even as he tried to maintain his smile for the camera. Beside him, Vin was beginning to shift nervously. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What? Truth hitting too close to home?” his brother egged on. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Chris, he’s right…” Vin agreed softly, even as he began to move away, his head tipped low. “These are ya’ family pictures.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris took a slight step forward and placed a firm hand on Vin’s lower arm pulling him back to his side. In the background, he knew the photographer was setting up for yet another shot, rearranging and adjusting his siblings but his focus at present was zeroed in between James and his lover.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, Vin. You have every right to be here. Mom said so… I say so…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>James Jr. let out a mocking laugh. “Mom is just trying to be nice… not cause a scene by having people pay attention to her baby boy and his cocksucking, faggot, lover…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was Vin’s turn to turn a restraining hand on the blond as Chris’s eyes flashed dark, the growl that resonated deep from within his chest was barely contained as he struggled to keep from attacking his older sibling. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Chris… no… not now… not your brother,” Vin pleaded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Silence took over the area. Whispers were replaced by the stares of Chris’s family and the few friends that were milling about to watch the picture taking. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please boys,” Lillian spoke finally. “Can we finish without the ugliness? James, I’m talking to you especially.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris was still glaring daggers at James Jr., not ready to back down from teaching his brother a lesson for all the nasty name-calling and pure meanness he’d aimed all weekend at Vin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vin, however, merely quietly drifted away from the group pausing only to face the Larabee matriarch for a moment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“I’m sorry, Mrs. Larabee. Weren’t no cause to ruin your special day,” he apologized sincerely. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Trapped amidst his family, Chris could only watch as Vin stood to himself underneath the nearby tent. Blue eyes looked on without anger or hurt, and Chris could only admire that the man so used to being bullied and singled out, could remain so impassive even when he should’ve been accepted and welcomed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It just enraged Chris further and he flew down the steps of the pergola the minute the photographer finished, rushing to Vin’s side. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We can leave tonight, now even… pack up our stuff and just be out of here and on the road… find that hotel I promised and get a start on the rest of our time off,” the blond suggested. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin just smiled and shook his head. “Still ain’t had my cake yet,” he countered. “And ‘sides, I like Annie and Thom… and you ain’t had a chance to really spend time with your folks or reconnect with Caroline…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah… but Jimmy…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vin shrugged. “I’m sorry ‘bout your brother, but unless I’m gonna have to post bail at the local lockup for whatever you’re plannin’ on doin’ to him… can we just finish the weekend out, try to make your Ma happy and not be the bad guys in all this?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris sighed, nodding after a moment. He shot a quick look over his shoulder to where the rest of the family was slowly dispersing as the wind and weather began to worsen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hope that damn cake is worth it,” he said sardonically before offering a weak grin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll make it up to you… ” Vin countered with a wicked twinkle in his eyes that sent a shiver straight to Chris’s groin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was about to offer his own suggestion on how exactly the agile and very pliant sniper could ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>make it up to him</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ when Thomas rushed over. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey guys, everyone is headed inside, but it might be best if we take down these tents before the storm gets here. Better that they’re collapsed instead of risking the wind tearing them up and blowing them around… don’t you think?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both agents nodded and rapidly moved into action. The first couple of tents were well anchored, having been staked down by Vin and Chris. As they worked, the overhead clouds turned darker and the sun disappeared behind them casting the day into shadows. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With the help of several other men, they quickly struck the canvas and took down the support poles of the first two pavilions, dropping the massive fabric down onto the ground. While a couple of the guys worked to fold the material, the others moved on to the next structure. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The wind was nearly howling at this point as the storm front approached. Chris saw that Vin’s hair had torn loose from the leather band that had held it tied back at the nape of his neck, the sun-lightened strands were now whipping madly with every gust. Dressed as he was in the pair of Ralph Lauren Chino’s that Ezra had given him, swearing they’d been mistakenly purchased in a wrong size but in all likelihood were meant as a gift to enhance Vin’s rather limited tastes in wardrobe, Chris thought his lover looked like a model, hair blowing behind him even as his shirt clung to him, each muscle in his chest and abdomen hugging the sapphire blue fabric like a second skin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This was Vin in his element. Standing out in the midst of nature, unfazed by the pending tempest, simply focused on the job at hand. The picture of calm, Chris paused to consider when he ever saw Tanner get ruffled. Surely there were times, not so many that he couldn’t count them on one of his hands, and there tended to be a common theme as he thought about it. Usually, it involved when one of the team was in jeopardy. Yet even then, Vin rarely lost his control or focus, at least until after the situation was resolved. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No, if there was one characteristic about Vin that Chris could say was always reliable, it was the man’s ability to remain calm under pressure. It's what made him so good at his job and the division’s top sniper. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s also what made what happened next so shocking and yet so utterly unsurprising as it unfolded right before Chris’s eyes. As the men continued to work to quickly tear down the party tents, having removed two and working on the last two, James Jr’s daughter, Chloe had ventured back outside to gather some of the left behind flowers and decorations still adorning the remaining erect structure. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From his place at the farthest side of the tent he was helping Thomas with, Chris saw the small girl stretching to pull the ribbons and flowers away from the canvas trim. The material was flapping madly in the raucous wind, the petals of the silk flowers tearing free as they were pummelled back and forth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>James Jr. must’ve spotted the danger first or maybe he just didn’t want his daughter outside in the coming storm, but he was moving towards her and shouting for her to go back inside even as the strong gust of wind lifted the canvas like a sail and pulled the support poles up out of the ground. Chris watched as Vin, being just a few feet away and either also seeing the danger or knowing the Texan’s penchant for having a sixth sense for these things, was already moving towards the father and daughter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For Chris, it happened in horrific slow motion. Somewhere in the distance, there was a rumble of thunder as the storm announced its arrival. Closer by, a loud crack that might have been the echo of nature’s boom was in actuality the fracture of one of the tent’s thick support poles. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Already in motion, Vin dove towards unsuspecting James Jr. and Chloe, tackling both of them to the grass even as the tension and wind-driven splintered pole went sailing towards the three of them like a missile. Flung about at the end of the rope tether, the end of the support whipped about like a ghostly baseball player blindly swinging a bat, connecting solidly with soft flesh and yielding bone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Another crack, more splintering, and another stake fractured sending a support flying out of control. Vin’s body remained covering the elder Larabee and the smaller child. His arm was flung out over James Jr.’s head even as his hand tucked Chloe in tight beneath their bodies.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the howling wind continued and the tension on the tie-down lines were severed, the entire tent finally collapsed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris stood numbly as his lover was enshrouded beneath the mounds of the tan canvas. Even as others began calling out for help, his own voice shouted orders and yelled for 9-1-1, the lack of movement and deathly silence below the heavy tarp was a stark contrast to the cacophony of the rain as it began to fall. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Chris’s hands tore at the heavy fabric, desperation filled him in his haste to reach Vin. One thought raged through his mind over and over; damning and condemning him, crushing his heart like the weight of the massive tent that was suffocating the other half of soul. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Vin didn’t even want to come this weekend.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>***tbc***</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. AMENDS</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In the end - it's all about family; even if the family is the new one you've created.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    

<h3>
  <em>
    <span>Amends</span>
  </em>
</h3>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The rain was still falling as Chris sat in the dimly lit hospital room trying to find a way to get comfortable in one of the worst chairs he’d ever had the displeasure of sitting in any hospital before. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And he knew hospital chairs… </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Rising up, he made his way over to stare out the window for the sixth time in the past hour. There was nothing new to see, it was the same dreary landscape, still the same constant downpour, still the same darkness. But given that Vin wasn’t due for another neuro-check until around 8, and was well and truly out for the count, there was little else to distract him at the moment. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He glanced back at his lover, tucked beneath a mass of crisp white sheets and even whiter bandages that adorned a good portion of his head and exposed chest. Chris let out a long breath. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It could’ve been worse. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He’d feared that it had been. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It had taken Thomas, him, and several others both brute strength and coordinated effort to fight against the wind and rain to pull the heavy canvas off Vin, his brother, and niece. Chris could still feel his heart pounding as he recalled the sight of the three of them once the thick material was pulled away. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>James Jr. was relatively unscathed save for a few bumps and bruises. Chloe was more frightened and traumatized than anything, immediately crying out for her mother and rushing into her arms. But it was Vin that garnered everyone’s fear and concern. The young agent was covered in blood and remained unresponsive to every attempt to rouse him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They kept him carefully immobile, Chris not certain exactly how or what might be injured but not willing to take any risks. It felt like forever before EMS arrived and began to assess Vin, revealing that most of the blood was from a nasty head laceration and another wound where the sharp end of one of the broken supports had evidently cut into his lower back. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Once at the ER, Vin was treated just as efficiently as he’d ever been at Denver Medical Center with perhaps the exception that he wasn’t on a first-name basis with all of the trauma surgeons here and they didn’t have his medical records on speed dial. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t long before the staff at Bedford General had full sets of X-rays, a CT scan, and had sutured, splinted, and strapped most of Vin’s lacerations, cracked or broken bones. While Tanner didn’t have any major injuries, the head laceration and loss of consciousness along with the multiple rib fractures were enough to buy him an overnight observation. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris knew that if Vin would have been lucid, he’d likely would have put up more of an argument. But fatigue, pain, and a mild dose of sedative during the CT all combined to keep Vin’s opinions and desires out of the mix. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>So for now, Vin was asleep in the hospital bed and Chris was pacing his room because Bedford General didn’t know how to invest in decent patient room furniture. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It didn’t leave Chris a lot of hope about the quality of the coffee in the cafeteria. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A soft scuff of shoes pulled his attention away from the rain-glazed window and Chris turned to see the silhouetted figure of his brother James standing in the open doorway. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Uhhh… umm… hey… I uh… thought I’d see how… uh… how  he’s doin?” James Jr. stammered. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris glanced over to the quiet figure in the bed. Vin was still out. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Concussion, three broken ribs, couple of nasty lacerations, lost count on the bruises and contusions… “ Chris tallied off. “Probably won’t know what all is strained or just hurt until he really wakes up… but I imagine he’ll be feelin’ it for a while.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>James Jr. nodded thoughtfully. “Wow… I… uh… I didn’t know… I was so focused on Chloe… I saw the blood… but I didn’t know he got hurt so bad.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Larabee let out a short chuckle. “Well, for Vin… this is kinda minor actually.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Even in the dim light, Chris could see that his older brother was confused. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s just say that Vin has a tendency to be a frequent flyer at our local trauma center. That’s not to say that he’s accident-prone… more that he just doesn’t have a very well-developed sense of self-preservation.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Kinda like throwing himself on top of an asshole who’s been treating him like shit all weekend and then saving that asshole and the asshole’s daughter’s life… that sort of self-sacrificing, decent human being kinda thing,” James Jr. asked. “I uh… I owe him… my life… and Chloe’s… saying thank you… doesn’t even come close.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not the person you need to say that to.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah… but after everything I’ve said to him… how I’ve treated him… he’ll probably just spit in my face… and he’d have every right to,” James Jr. said plainly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris smiled and waved his brother closer. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s a good guy, Jimmy. Honestly, one of the best people I’ve ever known. And I’m not saying that because we’re involved… although maybe that’s just a part of what attracted me to Vin to begin with. But if you just get to know him… give him a chance… you’ll see.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>James Jr. looked at the sleeping man before turning back to Chris. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I guess I have some explaining to do, Chris. I’m not sure I even know where to start,” the older man explained. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris took a deep breath. “I don’t want us to be strangers, Jimmy. Vin convinced me of that. I want my family in my life. Just talk to me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>James Jr. looked down, rubbing his hands nervously against the legs of his jeans. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s Ryan. I guess… he’s gay… I mean… he hasn't come right out and said as much, but there’s things that he’s done, or stuff that he’s been interested in, or… you know, things we’ve found. He’s talked to his mom a little. He won’t talk to me. But just things ya’ know. He doesn’t want to go fishing with me anymore… doesn't hang out with some of his friends like he used to. Now he has these different friends. I don’t know… I mean, it’s not like he’s doing bad in school or anything but… I hear stuff from the other teachers... “</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris tried to hide the slight smirk. Vin had been right. James Jr had been projecting his issues and fears onto them or more so Vin. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So all this hate and name-calling of Vin is because you don’t know how to deal with Ryan?” Chris asked. “Hell, Jimmy… how do you think you made your son feel when he heard you calling Vin all those disgusting names?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The older man dropped his head in shame, his hands threading up into his hair as he agonized over his brother’s accusations. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know,” he admitted sadly. “I don’t know why I acted that way. I haven’t ever been that way toward someone like that before… and I don’t have anything against Vin or anyone like him… I just don’t know what to do about Ryan and I’m just worried… afraid for him…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why? You can ask that? Look how someone like me treated someone like Vin. What in the world will Ryan have to deal with if he decides to keep being gay?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris laughed and James Jr. looked up in shock. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry big brother, but this isn’t just something that you or Ryan get’s to just ‘decide’... this isn’t something that Ryan just woke up the other day and said ‘oh, I think I’ll try out being gay…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>James Jr. became quiet as he seemed to consider Chris’s words. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You need to talk to him, big brother. You don’t have to have all the words but you have to start somewhere... “</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The older man nodded but went quiet.  “So what about us?” he asked after a moment. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris shrugged. “You’re my brother, Jimmy. I know we haven’t been super close lately and honestly, I know that’s my fault, not yours or Carolines or Annies… After Sarah and Adam… well, really, even before, I was just caught up in my own life. But after, it was just so damn hard… and that’s all on me.” Chris explained. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t even imagine what it must’ve been like for you…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I hope to hell you never do… but truth is… I made my own hell… I buried myself in work and drank myself into a bottle… I could’ve had help, I had friends who tried, and I had a family but I didn’t want anyone around… I guess I was happy in my misery… I wanted to be angry for a long time. It was just easier.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“In your defense, it wasn’t like we went out of our way to reach out to you either,” James Jr. admitted. “I mean, talking with Caroline, I guess there were parts of us that were being pretty petty about it. Making it like you needed to make the first move… like somehow it was your fault or you deserved everything that happened. It wasn’t right… I’m really sorry Christopher.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s done and over now,” Chris offered, extending his hand. “You’re my brother, and life is too short to be angry over stuff like when we were kids.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>James Jr. tentatively took his hand and smiled hesitantly. “You’ve changed a lot, Christopher. Or maybe I just never really took the time to get to know you at all… but I’m going to fix that…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris nodded his head down toward the man sleeping in the bed. “He gets all the credit. The peace and calm, that’s because of Vin… I don’t need the anger anymore or the hate because I have a reason to look forward to every day once again. Like I said before, he’s a pretty amazing person that you’d probably like if you’d take the chance to get to know him…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The two men grew quiet and the room sank into silence with only the soft patter of the rain outside along with the soft whirl of the IV pump making any noise. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris fidgeted in his chair and glanced at his watch. He’d missed dinner earlier while waiting in the ER and had never had a chance to grab any of the food that had been served back at the house since he’d rushed to follow behind the ambulance as soon as they’d loaded Vin. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You mind sittin’ here with Vin for a minute while I go get some coffee to get me through the night? Our hospital back home knows us all so well, the nurses in the ICU keep our favorite blend in stock,” Chris joked. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>James Jr. glanced nervously over toward Vin but nodded. He moved over to the vacated chair and dropped silently down as Chris quietly left the room. Sparing a look at the sleeping patient, he took in the myriad of bandages and the IV that slowly fed a clear line of fluid into the silent man. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The muted activity from out in the hallway was the only sound for the longest time as James Jr. sat quietly lost in his thoughts. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Chris… is… right…” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin’s voice held a slight rasp from the recent medication, but his eyes were open, the blue less brilliant due to the injury and the dimmed lighting. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Christopher thinks he’s always right… what is he right about this time?” James Jr. tried to joke. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ya’ need to talk t’ your son…” Vin continued. “He needs your support… your love…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>James Jr. huffed out a breath. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So you heard everything? Just been layin’ there the whole time?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tanner offered a weak smirk. “It drives Chris crazy… doesn’t change things tho’... talkin’ to your boy, I mean.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know what he needs?  What do I say? What do I know about any of this?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you need to know?” Vin asked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>The older man sighed. “I don’t understand it… I don’t understand… being gay… two men… I mean… please… I’m really not trying to be offensive to you… to Chris… not even to Ryan… and I’m truly sorry for all the things I’ve said to you… but I just don’t understand it… it’s not how we were raised… I grew up always believing that love… true love… was between a man and a woman.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin took a breath and grimaced, his ribs protesting the expansion. He settled after a moment, but his hand remained clenched tightly in the sheet. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So, Chris and me…” he began, “Your brother and me… you think we can’t possibly love each other the way that your ma and pa do? Or the way you and your wife do? Because we ain't man and woman?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>James Jr. blinked nervously. “No… I don’t know… I don’t understand how... “</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you think lovin’ someone is all about? If you had to talk to your son about finding that perfect partner, what would you tell him to look for?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Rubbing the back of his neck, the older man pondering the question. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I’d tell him to make sure he found someone that respected him, had things in common with him and shared the same basic beliefs and outlooks in life. Someone that he could see himself spending the rest of his life with…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So nothing about how that person looked?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>James Jr. shrugged. “Looks are superficial... “</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin nodded. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“When you talk to your son… you may find out that he’s attracted to men and women… like Chris. Or maybe he’s only attracted to men. For me, when I was younger, I didn’t really know myself. As I got older, I dated some women and some men... “</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So, you’re not really gay then?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin smiled weakly. “Does it really matter?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>James Jr. shook his head. “No, I don’t suppose so… it’s just a label… a name… and not even a really nice one is it?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin shook his head, stopping quickly as his concussion made itself known. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“As I got older, I just knew that I wanted someone that loved me for who I was… falling in love with your brother never had anything to do with the fact that he was a man… it had everything to do with who he was…the things we had in common… the way we could talk without hardly havin’ to say a word… how he made me feel… the trust and love that we have together,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin paused for a moment, a warm smile filling his face as he thought about his lover. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“For me… love ain’t never been about the parts… but the person,” he finished. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tanner watched as the older Larabee sibling seemed to consider his words. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> “Just talk to your son… “ he added after a moment. “Take it from me… he needs you… nothing more than knowing you love him no matter what and that you don’t think he’s a freak.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’d never think that… I love him,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s what you need to tell him… that’s all he needs to know. Everything else will work out…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>James Jr. nodded solemnly before growing quiet again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And talk to Chris too… he probably won't admit it, but he wants and needs his kin…” Vin continued weakly, fighting the pull of unconsciousness once more. “If’n it’s me... that’s the problem… I can steer clear... or whatever... but don’t take </span>
  <em>
    <span>us</span>
  </em>
  <span> out on</span>
  <em>
    <span> him</span>
  </em>
  <span>…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh god… no…. No!  Please don’t think that. I owe you an apology… and a huge thank-you. You saved my life and you saved Chloe’s life… and after everything… You’re a better man than I am… and I can see what Christopher loves about you... “ James Jr. confessed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin reddened even as his eyes were drifting closed. He lifted his left hand up a few inches from the bed and attempted to offer the older Larabee a weak wave. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Once you get to feelin’ better… maybe… maybe you and I could talk some more... “ James Jr. proposed. “Maybe you could even be available a little to give a brother-in-law some extra advice… you know… on an as-needed basis?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Blue eyes slowly blinked and Vin smiled. “Any chance ...some of that cake ...is still leftover from today? I missed... getting a piece… we can arrange a trade…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>James Jr. laughed. “I’m pretty sure we can cut a deal on that.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you two making deals on?” Chris asked, coming back into the room just at the end of the conversation. “I swear, I will never complain about DMC’s cafeteria again after here. I think this is their way of drumming up new business.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His brother chuckled again, but Vin had already drifted back under, his features looking more relaxed than before. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He okay?” Chris asked, concern marking his already tired features.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s pretty amazing.” James Jr. replied. “And you’re a damn lucky man, Christopher… twice over.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Larabee drew closer to the side of the hospital bed and gazed down at his lover. He absently brushed his fingertips against the side of Vin’s stubbled jaw. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah… I am,” he agreed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>*M7* Epilogue</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They left two days later, conceding to staying an extra day after Vin’s discharge when Lillian saw all the bruises and bandages and how stiffly the young agent was moving when Chris brought him back to the house. It gave her time to spoil and pamper the Texan who was now the family ‘hero’. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris’s siblings and their families remained through Tuesday as well, everyone still concerned about Vin and wanting to see him and welcome him home. Chris was a little reluctant, knowing Tanner’s aversion to being the center of attention. Yet, considering how the start of the weekend had gone, he figured Vin was due a bit of TLC from the Larabee clan. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Lillian set Vin up on the couch and that’s where he stayed, for the most part, holding court as Chris’s sisters waited -  or tried to - on his every want or need. Chris hung nearby and tried not to laugh at how overwhelmed his lover seemed by having three doting women hovering over him. For all the times he’d accused Chris, Nathan, or one of the team for being a “mother hen” when he was sick or injured, Vin was getting a first-hand look at being the baby chick to three women who had made it their mission to rule their coops. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>On the upside, the extra day gave Chris a chance to spend a little more time with his siblings. While things still weren’t perfect, they were far less tense than how the weekend had started. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He and James Jr. had a chance to just sit and talk. Although they didn’t rehash things from the past, they at least spent the time catching up on their lives now. Chris was happy that Jimmy seemed genuinely interested in his and Vin’s relationship. It might have been more out of curiosity so he could deal with his son, but Chris didn’t care. At least his brother appeared to be accepting of them and not ready to let loose with any further ugly or hurtful slanders. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Even Caroline spent some time just talking with him. And Chris realized that his older sister had a lot of her own hurts and demons that he was only just barely aware of. The years that they’d been separated had driven more than a wedge between them, and Chris felt guilty that he hadn’t been there for the woman when she needed a stronger male presence in her life. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Of course, Annie was a different story. Reconnecting with his slightly older sister was a blessing in disguise. Uninhibited as she was forgiving, the redhead minced no words in telling Chris that while his absence had been painfully noted, she had understood and was simply glad to have him back now. Not to mention that Vin was simply too incredible for words and if she didn’t already have Thomas in her life, she’d definitely steal him away from her brother. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris laughed and reminded his sister that Vin wasn’t batting for her team, to which Annie simply replied… “Challenge accepted!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He couldn’t wait to tell Vin about that conversation.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Now, here they were, somewhere in Missouri on the other side of St. Louis, having said their goodbyes and hitting the road just after 730 but not before Lillian made sure they had a full breakfast. Chris was glad that Vin was able to get another full night's rest, even if it seemed like every move he made caused a groan of pain. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Even now, Vin was cocooned in the passenger seat with a couple of pillows strategically wedged between the side of his ribcage, the seat, and the door in such a way that it prevented him from being jostled too much when Chris couldn’t avoid a bump or patches of uneven road. It helped some, but not enough, as evidenced by the hard grip Tanner maintained on the side of the center console, his knuckles white as his fingertips dug into the hard leather. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How ‘bout we stop?” Chris offered, not for the first time on the trip.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin tilted his head over. “Wow, Missouri… my money was on Illinois… I bet you just been bustin’ trying to hold that inside for the last hundred miles,” he snarked. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Green eyes flashed and Chris offered a wry smirk. “You work every day on being such a smartass or is it just natural aptitude?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin shrugged. “All part of my charm… you love me,” he replied, his blue eyes glancing up but dulled by a combination of fatigue and pain. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris quickly met his gaze, his green glare softening even as he reached over and gently pulled Vin’s hand away from the center console. He twined his fingers into his lover’s and squeezed before then stroking his thumb back and forth along the side of Vin’s wrist. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That I do,” the blond affirmed. “Absolutely… Unconditionally… Wholly…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin closed his eyes and sighed into the touch. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You okay?” Chris asked worriedly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tanner nodded, but his eyes remained shut. “This was a good weekend,” he said after a while. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris snorted. “You’re joking, right? Seriously, Vin. I owe you an apology.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What the hell are you talkin’ ‘bout?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Larabee drew in a long breath. “You never wanted to come this weekend. I forced you… guilted you basically… and you were right… everything you put up with… from my family… you were right… you knew about Jimmy and Ryan … and even then… you still didn't think twice about putting yourself at risk for them…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What was I supposed to do? Just stand there an’ watch?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No… I know you’d never do that… it’s not who you are…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So what then, Chris? How did ya’ want this whole deal to be different?” Vin asked. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Larabee groaned. “You’re missing the point,” he groaned in frustration. “I’m tryin’ to say I’m sorry,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I ain’t missin’ nuthin’. And you ain’t got nuthin’ to be apologizin’ for… way I see it… it all worked out just fine… maybe better than fine,” Vin retorted. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And how exactly do you figure that? Please explain the Tanner logic to that one for me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well,” Vin began, his thickened drawl starkly obvious with his fatigue. “Seems like you and your family mended a lot of fences the past coupla' days… I mean, sure… it started off a bit rough… and I didn’t think they was overly fond of me at first… but once they got to know me… I think it all worked out… and now you and your brother and sisters are all talkin’ again… and you Ma likes me… and you Pa.. now he might not be ready to have a beer with me, but he did call me by my first name when we left and shook my hand…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“But look at the cost to you, Vin…” Chris insisted. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What? Some name callin’? I been called names before, Chris… you know that.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Vin… you have thirty- seven stitches, three broken ribs… and …”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’d rather that little niece of yours have ‘em instead? Or maybe your big brother?” Vin asked. “Maybe you think that Jimmy deserves this ‘cause he was mean to me? Payback or somethin’?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No… you know I don’t want that… I don’t think that… but I sure as hell don’t like seeing you covered in bandages, steri-strips and ace wraps either… hurting so bad that you flinch every time I hit a bump or you have to take a breath…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll heal… and you get to take care of me… pretty nice trade-off if you ask me?” Vin said jokingly but quickly became serious when it earned him a dark look from his lover. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, Chris… Now listen to me… you wanted me to come with you… and I did. And yeah, at first, I thought it was a mistake ‘cause us just showin’ up unannounced wasn’t right to do to your family… and obviously, it weren’t… but even if we had to do it all over again… it got things out in the open… so yeah… maybe we shoulda done things different. But you can’t unpaint a picture or unwrite a book… and you wrote this chapter a while ago… Now we wrote the next one.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The big truck sped on with a heavy quiet settling over the interior. Chris stared out the windshield at the road ahead, his mind absorbing everything. Vin glanced up at him waiting for a response. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I guess then I owe you my thanks,” Chris said after a moment. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vin groaned. “Now what for?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“For everything you did…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t do anything… you’re not makin’ any sense. You sure you aren’t the one with the concussion?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, but you sure can be one dense bastard…” Chris said, his exasperation coming through in his tone. “I’m trying to tell you that I appreciate that you helped open my eyes to how much I needed my family… to make the effort to work things out with them and have them back in my life. It’s been a while… and I guess I just thought that I had gotten to a point where I didn’t need them if it wasn’t convenient. But that’s not how it works… when you love people… sometimes you gotta work for it. You’ve taught me that… like so much of my life now… it’s better because of you, Vin.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s better because of us, Chris… you and me together. Neither of us are anything by halves. Half a life, half a love...half a soul.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris smiled and lifted his hand to Vin’s jaw. “My brother was right about one thing…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>are </span>
  </em>
  <span>amazing…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin’s face flushed with color and he leaned slightly into the touch. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know, your sisters sure did a helluva job plannin’ that whole shindig for your folks…” Tanner suggested. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah… I guess… I’m not much about party planning,” Chris answered. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know… which is why I was talking to them about helping me out.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Helping you out with what?” Larabee asked worriedly. He shot a look at Vin, suddenly becoming concerned when he saw the quirky grin on the sniper’s face. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well… you do have this big birthday comin’ up… ya’ know.... The big 4-0… and I was thinkin’ we can’t let that go by without havin’ a big celebration... “</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Viiiinnnn…” Chris’s voice went low with a warning. “What are you up to?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey… at least I’m tellin’ ya’ now. I know you wouldn’t want a surprise party and all… so your sisters said they could help me plan a big thing for ya’ out at the ranch… if’n the weather was nice and all, we could hold it outside… have a cookout… set up tents like this weekend….”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris interrupted, holding up his hand. “NO… no more tents…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin started to laugh but immediately wrapped his arm around his chest. “Yeah… maybe that's a no on the tents…” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So my sisters huh?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin nodded. “Yeah… Caroline was pretty happy that I asked her to help and of course, Annie couldn’t wait to start planning. Although, your sister sure does like to look at my ass… kinda makes me a little uncomfortable.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris burst into laughter. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I think my sister kinda has the hots for you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin looked at him oddly. “She does understand that I’m not bi… and that I’m totally committed to you… to us?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh she knows… and she’s committed to Thomas… but as Annie would say, just ‘cause she's on a diet, doesn’t mean she doesn’t enjoy watching the cooking shows.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin shook his head. “You have a very weird family, Chris.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re part of it now, Vin. Pretty sure you got officially adopted the other day.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Can’t say that I mind… Feels sorta nice knowin’ I got more family…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris looked over and saw the satisfied look fill the young Texan. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You deserve everything good, Vin.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I got everything I want…” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin shifted uneasily but couldn’t manage to hide the groan when he tried to reposition his body. He caught Chris looking at him out of the corner of his eye, the blond trying to pretend he was focused on the highway and not on his partner’s pain. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The drive was beginning to take its toll. His injuries, while not severe, had left him weary and dealing with bone-deep bruises that simply throbbed continuously. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yet, Vin knew how to manage pain. What he couldn't manage was dealing with Chris’s need to make things better for him. To try to control the situation so that Vin wasn’t suffering, Chris couldn’t take away the pain, but that wouldn’t stop his lover from seeing Vin’s misery as a reflection of his failure to properly care for him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“About that hotel?” Vin posed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah?” Chris answered, almost too eagerly. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Think you can find one with a suite and an in-room hot-tub… and maybe even room-service?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris offered him a knowing grin. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Now you know… those ribs aren’t gonna let us get up to any sort of extracurricular activities…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin shrugged. “Just hoping to find a comfortable position that doesn’t hurt to breathe…” he admitted. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Larabee nodded. “Let’s see what we can find then. Probably ought to be something  decent available up ahead.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sounds good… Thanks, Chris…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe after a good night's sleep, the rest of the drive tomorrow won’t be too bad for ya’.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll be fine,” Vin assured the blond. “Besides… we stop now, there’ll be plenty a’ time to rest… and maybe have ya’ help me work out some o’ these kinks…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Viiiinnn…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Doc said I should be sure to stay loose…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Viinnnn… he also said you weren’t supposed to do anything to aggravate those ribs or that concussion…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Pretty sure the part of my body I’m thinkin’ ‘bout don’t involve neither my chest or my head… or at least not that head…” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Viiiinnnnn….”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Doc didn’t say nuthin’ ‘bout </span>
  <em>
    <span>your </span>
  </em>
  <span>ribs or head, did he? Bet we can still pull off some toe-tingling activities that don’t involve me havin’ to move too much… least-wise nothin’ more than my mouth, S’pose that does sorta count as my head… but if’n we do it right, you can do all the movin’ and I’ll just provide the nice, warm… wet mouth… wrapped all around you thick co-</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Tanner… I swear… I’m gonna pull over at the next rest area and throw your ass in the back seat and fuck you in front of God and truckers and the people out walkin’ their dogs…if you don’t stop…. And you know we can’t do that right now. Not with you being beat to hell- so I’ll be stuck beatin’ one out in some restroom stall, probably get propositioned by some trucker who’ll want to take me back to his rig... “</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Can you just find a hotel already?” Vin interjected.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris saw the sign for an upcoming exit. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hilton?” he suggested. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Works for me,” Vin answered, making an overt rub against his crotch that had Chris taking the off-ramp far too fast for the big Dodge. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“When do we have to be back to work?” Vin asked as they pulled into the parking lot of the hotel and Chris prepared to go inside to check them in. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re off until at least next week, and you’ll still need to get cleared for light duty by the department doc.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And what about you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chris shrugged. “I got plenty of PTO and there’s nothing active pending. Josiah’s holding down the fort for now till I get back.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vin smiled, his blue eyes clear and full of love along with a tiny bit of mischievousness. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Book us for two nights,” he said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>*finis*</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm always just so blown away by the folks that get into my stories. It took a long time for me to gain the confidence to put these out here and that so many of you take the time to read, leave Kudos, and especially write a comment not only inspires me to write more, but truly means so much. I can't thank you all enough. This story hits a little closer to home because of the whole "family issues" deal... but I'm sure I'm not the only one. I wish I could be more like Vin... try to be the peacemaker more often... but it's hard to turn the other cheek time and time again. So, I guess this story is my penance for how I 'wish' things COULD HAVE BEEN... For everyone else out there- I hope you enjoyed it... I hope you own family life is a helluva lot better than this and I hope you have all the love that Chris and Vin have (or maybe Annie- cause ain't she a riot?) Till' next time. - Tree</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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